Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CVAG and city officials update council on regional traffic‑signal synchronization
Summary
Coachella Valley Association of Governments presented progress on the CV Sync program and Palm Springs staff described local traffic‑operation upgrades, grant funding of about $9.5 million, and plans to move toward fiber‑optic connections to improve signal reliability and safety.
The council received a regional update on traffic‑signal synchronization from the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) on July 8.
Chris Gunderson, CV Sync program manager, said Phase 1 of the regional synchronization project — covering three corridors and about 134 intersections — is complete and Phase 2 will expand coverage to more than 500 intersections later this fall. Gunderson noted communications disruptions caused by construction and unreliable radio links and said the program plans to replace fiber optics where needed.
Joel Montalvo described the city’s traffic operations center and its ability to monitor signals in real time. He said the city and partners have pursued highway safety improvement program (HSIP) grants and have secured about $9.5 million for four projects to date; cycle 9 construction is scheduled to begin soon. Montalvo explained that decisions about protected left turns are made intersection by intersection, based on crash history, traffic volumes and sight distance, and that staff weigh safety benefits against traffic flow.
Council members asked how signal cycles are set, why some phasings appear sequential and whether the city has moved from in‑street detectors to video detection; staff said cycle timing is site specific, video detection is in use for many intersections and the city will continue to evaluate individual intersections on request.
Staff said further upgrades — including fiber‑optic connections — are part of future projects and that more funding will accelerate replacements and improve reliability.
