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 labor resources in the coming budget cycle.

Wheeler said the city has completed roughly $17,500,000 of work over the two-year program and described project status across several stages: about 30 completed projects of the two‑year program, 11 projects in construction, 11 in pre-construction, 10 in design and seven in predesign/“in the wings.” He briefed commissioners on large upcoming or active projects including:

- Bake Parkway/Trabuco (widening and dual left-turns; contract awarded): contractor procurement and traffic signal pole ordering are underway; property interests to be acquired from Edison for roadway widening. - Jeronimo at El Toro (widening, raised medians and resurfacing from Geronimo to Trabuco): right-of-way acquisition is in court; Wheeler said the city expects inspection procurement in March and construction advertisement in April if acquisition completes. - Intersection widenings and restriping projects to add or improve right-turn lanes at Geronimo/Lake Forest, Rancho Parkway/Lake Forest Drive and Los Olisos/Rockfield. - Transit/coordination projects: synchronization work on Alton Parkway and Portola Parkway (in coordination with Irvine, Mission Viejo, Caltrans and Rancho Santa Margarita). - Parks and recreation projects: Barker Ranch Dog Park upgrades, Pittsford Park shade-structure repairs, synthetic turf replacement at Lake Forest Sports Park and Foothill Ranch Park, conversion of sand volleyball courts to pickleball at El Toro Park and court restriping across multiple parks. - Sidewalk repair program in residential areas and a turf‑removal/drought‑tolerant landscaping pilot informed by outside grant funding.

Wheeler told commissioners the city is coordinating road repairs with a private fiber-optic company (identified in the presentation as Cityside) so slurry sealing follows fiber installation. He also said some projects rely on grants, naming OCTA for the Lake Forest Drive synchronization and saying the drought-tolerant landscaping work on El Toro Road drew regional grant funding (he referenced the Metropolitan Water District as the grant source).

Commissioners asked about use of artificial intelligence in signal timing; Wheeler said the current equipment allows much better corridor coordination than a decade ago but that fully AI-driven signal control is “years away” and costly. Commissioners also questioned grant sources, Edison’s cooperation for utility relocations on the Bake/Trabuco widening and state concerns about synthetic turf; Wheeler said Edison has already moved some transmission lines and the remaining utility coordination will include undergrounding lines during construction. On turf, Wheeler said the city monitors state health guidance and follows state health-code direction.

Wheeler described material- and labor-cost inflation as a major constraint: he said some pavement bid items have risen 40 percent or more since 2020, with some up as much as 70 percent. He said staff will brief the City Council about funding pavement needs in the next budget cycle.

Wheeler closed by reiterating the city’s project counts and inviting commissioners to follow up. Several commissioners welcomed the update and raised localized concerns (e.g., safety on El Toro Road, a blown sign on Portola and Rancho) and coordination items (timing for new street-name signs, which staff said are scheduled through the fiscal year ending June 30).