Topline:
A new project is underway along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway will make traffic signals smarter and slow down speeding drivers, officials say.
Why it matters: The project will install communication lines between John Taylor Drive and Topanga Canyon Boulevard to slow down drivers who are breaking speed limits. The stretch, also known as Dead Man's Curve, is where four Pepperdine students died two months ago.
The backstory: The Traffic Signals Synchronization project was approved by the Malibu City Council in 2017 as part of the Pacific Coast Highway Safety Plan from 2015.
A new project is underway along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway will make traffic signals smarter and slow down speeding drivers, officials say.
About the project
The project will install communication lines between John Taylor Drive and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The lines will synch the traffic signals to current traffic conditions and then feed that data to the Caltrans Traffic Management Center to regulate speeds.
Drivers traveling at the speed limit will see mostly green lights. For those driving above the speed limit, the system will make sure they encounter more red lights.
Why it matters
This stretch of PCH is also known as Dead Man's Curve. Along that stretch, four Pepperdine students died two months ago.
More than 4,000 traffic collisions have happened there in the past decade, according to Malibu city officials.
"That dead man’s curve area has been highlighted as one of the real dangerous spots on PCH, so we’re covering some of the areas where there have been a number of accidents and so hopefully that will calm that section down a little bit," Malibu Mayor Steve Uhring said.
Why now
The project has been a long time coming. The Traffic Signals Synchronization project was approved by the Malibu City Council in 2017, as part of the Pacific Coast Highway Safety Plan from 2015.
Uhring said that because Caltrans controls everything on PCH from speed limits to safety improvements, it's been up to them to start the project.
In a statement to LAist, Caltrans says the city of Malibu is responsible for the timeline of the project, given that it was implemented by the city. Caltrans' role was to provide oversight and the permits necessary to move forward with the project.
For now, commuters will experience alternating lane closures in both directions, but mostly on the right hand side. Work hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the summer (from Memorial Day to Labor Day), work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and some nighttime hours. Construction should be completed in a year.
