DOWNEY -- County to synchronize lights on Firestone, ImperialBody: A $1.27 million traffic project may bring relief to Downey motorists traveling through some of the city's major thoroughfares, county officials have announced. The project, approved Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, will include synchronizing traffic signals on Firestone Boulevard from Stewart & Gray Road to Imperial Highway The county will also install fiber optic equipment and closed circuit cameras to monitor traffic. The same will be done to Imperial Highway from Firestone to Carmenita Road, and Imperial from Paramount Boulevard to Bellflower Boulevard. A wireless communications network will allow county officials to change traffic lights in real time, while responding to accidents and congestion more quickly. Work is expected to begin in May and will be completed by January 2010. "Traffic synchronization works and is a huge benefit to commuters," Supervisor Don Knabe said in a statement. "As soon as we complete a project, it has an immediate impact on reducing commute times and reducing our impact on the environment." A mass synchronization effort by the county began more than 20 years ago, and commuter travel times have been reduced by as much as 29 percent, county officials said. ********** Published: March 20, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 48