CVAG approves traffic signal synchronization project

The Coachella Valley Association of Government executive board, which includes representatives from every city in the valley, voted to begin the signal synchronization project with one holdout, the city of Rancho Mirage.

“If you drive through Rancho Mirage now, it’s unlikely that you will hit a stop light, it’s already synchronized,” said Ted Weill, Rancho Mirage City Councilmember.

The signal synch project aims to improve traffic flow across the valley by installing new technology that will allow the traffic signals of 21 streets to be synchronized.

“We don’t want to have to, if there’s a problem, we don’t want to have to call come central bureaucratic body to come out and fix the situation where we now can do it immediately ourselves,” Weill said.

The board approved $27 million for the first phase of the project including Highway 111, Washington St and Ramon Rd.

“We’re going to look at Rancho Mirage as if they were partnered in this program,” said Carlos Ortiz, signal sync project manager.

Ortiz said Rancho Mirage opting out will not slow down their progress.

“Well the good thing is they have a separate project, they have another grant. They’re doing some improvements in technologies along 111 via a separate grant and also they right now the technologies they’re putting in Rancho Mirage works well with Palm Desert,” Ortiz said.

Rancho Mirage has already put $800,000 towards traffic signals with a grant for another $2 million. Construction is expected to begin near the end of the year or into early Spring.