City officials and partners mark completion of a $19 million project along 8-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway
City of Malibu officials, agency partners, and traffic safety advocates celebrated the completion of part of a $19 million project synchronizing 12 traffic signals along an approximately 8-mile section of Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and John Tyler Drive with a ribbon-cutting on Feb. 4. Part of the synchronization project is held up by ongoing fire repairs in East Malibu.
Synchronization of the traffic signals enables Caltrans Management Center to remotely adjust signal timing in real time, optimizing signal coordination to reduce speeding and congestion to improve traffic flow and minimize delays at signalledintersections. The goal is to improve roadway safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians along the PCH. Attendees gathered at PCH and Webb Way in the city-owned triangle lot.
Characterizing the initiative as the city’s most significant investment in PCH safety and mobility to date, Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins said, “The innovative system leverages cutting-edge technology and collaborative traffic safety planning to fulfill the city’s commitment to making PCH safer. The project will transform the PCH into a ‘Smart Corridor.’”
The effort, which was approved by the City Council at its regular meeting on May 8, 2017, and is a major step towards achieving the top priority of the City’s PCH Safety Study, was funded by Los Angeles County Measure R, which approved Highway Operational Improvements and by Measure M. The project involved more than seven years of planning and coordination between the city, Caltrans, and Los Angeles County.
In a press release, the City of Malibu explained that the project includes new closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras at each intersection to afford real-time verification of corridor and traffic conditions so as to enable faster response times.Contractors also installed emergency vehicle preemption technology as well as wires that are embedded in pavement to detect the presence of vehicles and to trigger changes in traffic signals. Additionally, contractors installed improved controller cabinets with both battery backups and Bluetooth capabilities, replaced existing signal poles with new ones, made street improvements and upgrades complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act consisting of installing ADA curb ramps, as well as installing ATCS sensors and changeable message signs. Mid-block sensors will enable Caltrans to monitor traffic flow and speed and then remotely adjust signal timing. The press release noted that signal interconnectedness provides a very high, uninterrupted bandwidth for communication, and the system can expand to more devices in the future.
Forthcoming efforts to further improve PCH safety include employing a speed citation camera system at high-risk locations along PCH as authorized by Senate Bill 1297, and installing quick-build temporary roundabouts at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road, an infrastructure upgrade that is slated for completion in the spring or early summer, Riggins stated.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also spoke at the event and commended the collaborative efforts between Caltrans, the county, and the city.
Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts and Deputy Director of Traffic Safety and Operations Rafael Molina attended the ceremony, with Roberts noting that completion of the project marks an important step toward improving safety on PCH and highlights the importance of inter-agency collaboration. “What makes this project special is the usage of installed systems to render PCH more safe and it is the first system of its kind to be installed by Caltrans,” Roberts stated. Future improvements will include automated speed cameras and increased law enforcement patrols.
Representatives for State Sen. Ben Allen and Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, as well as from LA Metro and the California Highway Patrol, also spoke and lauded the combined efforts of many agencies that were instrumental in completing the project.
That the celebratory event occurred across from the White Tires memorial that honors those who have died in PCH accidents was not lost on either the speakers or attendees. Michel Shane of the Emily Shane Foundation spoke and noted that the celebration was sombered by a fatality on PCH on Feb. 2 and by a 16-year-old driver dying after his Tesla careened over Malibu Canyon on Feb. 4. Damian Kevitt of Streets are for Everyone (SAFE) also made remarks, with Kevitt honoring Shane’s efforts “that have directly influenced completion of this project.”
For more information about ongoing PCH safety initiatives, visit Malibucity.org/PCHsafety.