People commuting through a large swath of North Orange County could see reduced driving times as traffic lights along another major street are slated for overhauls aimed at reducing congestion and emissions.
The State College Boulevard/City Drive traffic light project comes after the Kraemer Boulevard/Glassell Street/Grand Avenue project kicked off a couple years ago.
In 2025, that project brought improvements to 61 intersections across the cities of Brea, Placentia, Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana. It aimed to ease gridlock and reduce travel times while also saving gas.
[Read: North Orange County Could See an Easier Drive Home]
This week, Anaheim City Council members approved plans for Anaheim to lead a regional traffic signal synchronization project with the cities of Brea, Fullerton and Orange. The project aims to reduce travel times by coordinating traffic lights at 58 intersections across the region along State College Boulevard/City Drive.
Part of the M2 Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization Program, the project will stretch along State College Boulevard from Cliffwood Avenue in Brea to The City Drive at Garden Grove Boulevard in Orange.
According to the Orange County Transportation Authority, traffic signal synchronization uses time-based coordination to allow groups of vehicles to pass through multiple green lights before stopping at a red light.
Synchronization of traffic signals can provide multiple benefits for commuters, according to the staff report.
“The Project will increase throughput, improve fuel economy, reduce vehicle delay and travel times, and reduce vehicle emissions,” the staff report reads.
Similar projects completed by Anaheim Public Works and Orange County Transportation Authority have reduced travel times by 15% to 20%, according to the staff report.
Most notably, transportation officials overhauled Beach Boulevard over 15 years ago – producing a faster drive from Huntington Beach to Whittier.
The traffic signal coordination system will allow traffic lights to adapt to different traffic levels, according to the Anaheim staff report.
“The project will integrate a combination of fiber optic and communications devices and specific traffic signal designs, software and programs to maximize traffic flow at different times of the day,” the staff report reads.
Through Measure M2, the partner agencies received $3,762,290 in grant funding, with each participating agency matching funds by 20% for its portion of the project.
The cities will be partnered for the project’s corridor from Cliffwood Avenue to Garden Grove Boulevard through Dec. 31, 2032.
As the lead agency, Anaheim will oversee the design and implementation of the project.
Anaheim’s share of the project includes 23 out of the 58 signalized intersections on State College Boulevard from Via Burton Street to Orangewood Avenue. This portion is expected to cost $2,321,440, where 80% of the cost will be funded by the awarded Measure M2 grant funds, and the remaining will be covered by the city’s own funds.
In Anaheim, the project requires engineering, construction and maintenance services for upgrading the fiber communication infrastructure, signal controllers and cabinets and video detection systems. It will also install video cameras.
According to the staff report, the system is designed to improve traffic flow, even if that means not always getting continuous green lights.
”It is not always possible to hit a green light at every intersection,” the staff report reads. “However, traffic signal synchronization coordinates signals according to known congestion levels, allowing you to travel in less time by reducing stops.”
