Stoplight Synchronization to Improve Traffic Flow in La Quinta

By: Sherry Barkas, City of La Quinta

New state-of-the-art technology synchronizing the traffic lights on Washington Street has traffic moving more smoothly on one of the most heavily traveled stretches of roadway in and out of La Quinta.

Soon, motorists will experience the same on Highway 111 and Ramon Road.

The new technology is part of the initial phase of CV Sync, a valleywide project headed by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) to synchronize traffic lights throughout the valley – a move with a dual goal of saving motorists travel time while reducing vehicle emissions with fewer starts and stops.

The system complements La Quinta’s 105 public safety cameras installed in 2021 to assist police, fire, and other emergency responders by giving them real-time views of emergencies as they occur, including flooding during a storm. The cameras record what they capture, providing video that has been helpful to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department with its investigations of criminal cases and collisions.

Video from the City’s Public Safety Camera System (PSCS) has helped investigators solve crimes in and around La Quinta, including an armed robbery, a window smash commercial burglary, and the retail theft of baby formula.

The system is used to monitor streets and City property, aid in traffic management, as well as offer major event support to Ironman and criminal investigations.

During the December Ironman triathlon, CVAG representatives watched as La Quinta’s traffic management team used the PSCS to watch the progress of the 52-mile cycle portion of the race. The City’s traffic management team communicated via handheld radios with sheriff and race officials in the field when or if anything needed to be done on the roads to move cyclists and motorists along safely.

Through CV Sync, they could also change signal timing at various intersections as needed to get cyclists safely to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where they finished the competition on foot.

Two Systems Working Together

CVAG’s CV Sync cameras, placed at strategic locations, show traffic movement but don’t record.

The CV Sync system uses pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) cameras that can be positioned to monitor and evaluate signal timing. It allows for real-time changes to be made, and the results evaluated on the spot, said Kris Gunterson, traffic operations analyst for the City.

Gunterson is system administrator and in-house trainer for the Public Safety Camera System (PSCS).

The City’s public safety cameras have been placed at all intersections in La Quinta, around business areas, at City Hall, parks, and other public facilities. They cannot pick up sound, facial recognition or license plates and are not

The PSCS consists of a four-lens 360-degree view fixed camera system and a central PTZ which can be programmed to capture activity from different angles that the police deem

Only authorized sheriff and City personnel can access and use the Public Safety Camera System. Archived videos can also be viewed by the public, but a records request must first be filed.

The City is considering the addition of Automated License Plate Readers – cameras that would be installed and monitored by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Such cameras have been installed in neighboring cities, including Palm Desert, to help with recovery of stolen vehicles and other investigations. In La Quinta, license plate readers would complement the PSCS with an ability to produce high quality nighttime images, which the City’s system does not do.

Synchronizing the Valley’s Traffic Signals

CV Sync is a multiphase signal synchronization project that uses fiber optics to connect participating cities to a world-class, regional network, allowing them to communicate and coordinate with each other in real-time to manage traffic flow.

Phase I construction on the three most traveled roadways in the Coachella Valley – Highway 111, Washington Street and Ramon Road – is expected to be finished in April.

On December 5, the CVAG Executive Committee, comprised of elected officials from each of the valley’s nine cities, Riverside County, and the tribes, approved moving forward with the second phase of CV Sync construction by Irwindale-based Crosstown Electrical Data for $86.7 million.

The second phase will cover 93 miles of road along 18 corridors, including Avenues 44, 48, and 50, Bob Hope Drive, Jefferson, Jackson, Monroe, and Cook streets, Indio Boulevard, Monterey Avenue, and more, with completion of construction expected by March 31, 2025.

La Quinta is a partner in CV Sync along with eight of the nine incorporated cities, Riverside County and Caltrans. Rancho Mirage opted out of CV Sync because the city has implemented its own synchronization system on Highway 111.

To date, CVAG has funded the system through grants and Measure A transportation funds and has not sought money from its partner cities and agencies.