Public works director outlines $36 million two-year CIP, traffic synchronization wins $300,000 OCTA grant

Tom Wheeler, Lake Forest City public works director, told the Planning Commission on Feb. 6 that the city’s two-year capital improvement program (CIP) totals about $36,000,000 and covers roughly 70 projects across the city. Wheeler said the city has completed multiple projects recently — including slurry sealing, trail paving along Trabuco Road, raised delineators and a raised median on Rockfield, and a traffic synchronization project on Lake Forest Drive funded in part by a $300,000 matching grant from OCTA (Orange County Transportation Authority).

Wheeler said the Lake Forest Drive synchronization cut average travel times, depending on time of day, by as much as 9 percentage points, reduced stops by up to 39 percent, decreased delays by up to 31 percent and increased average speeds about 24 percent. He characterized the synchronization work as a relatively low-cost improvement that improved corridor performance.

Why it matters: the CIP and related operational projects drive near-term construction activity, affect travel and safety on major corridors, and determine where the city will allocate scarce pavement and…