Transforming Orange County’s Bus Corridor With Microsimulation Technology
Stretching across five vibrant cities in Orange County, California, Harbor Boulevard is no stranger to bustling activity. With 53 busy intersections and more than 10,000 daily bus boardings, it’s easily one of the region’s most critical transit arteries. Yet, popularity comes at a price: congestion frequently snarls traffic, impacting buses, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.
Recognising the need for a sophisticated approach, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has awarded a significant new contract to experts in smart mobility solutions – Iteris Inc., part of the Almaviva Group.
Under the newly announced Harbor Boulevard Transit Initiative, Iteris will implement cutting-edge technologies and strategies designed to streamline bus operations and ease chronic congestion.
The Future of Traffic Planning
The core of this ambitious initiative revolves around Iteris’s proven expertise in microsimulation technology. Unlike traditional traffic models, which oversimplify by treating vehicles as mere moving dots, microsimulation replicates the complexity of real-world conditions.
Each vehicle and pedestrian is individually modelled, interacting dynamically with traffic lights, road configurations, and each other, allowing planners to explore various scenarios with exceptional precision.
Steven Bradley, senior vice president of mobility professional solutions at Iteris, highlighted the significance of this capability: “We’re thrilled to further our work with the Orange County Transportation Authority with this new planning project. With our extensive microsimulation experience and coinciding knowledge of OCTA’s transportation network from our other work with them, we’re uniquely positioned to help the county improve transit efficiency with this initiative.”
Leveraging Proven Results
Iteris’s ClearMobility® Platform forms the technological backbone of the project. Using advanced cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and extensive data analytics, ClearMobility continuously gathers data from traffic sensors, vehicle location systems, and even anonymised mobile phone data.
This data-rich environment allows OCTA planners to monitor real-time conditions, assess performance, and swiftly test potential improvements.
ClearMobility’s flagship application, ClearGuide®, is instrumental in the initiative.
It offers several critical capabilities, including:
- Real-time Bottleneck Identification: Immediately highlighting traffic issues.
- Predictive Analysis: Forecasting intersection congestion up to fifteen minutes in advance.
- Emission Reduction Calculations: Quantifying environmental benefits from improved traffic flow.
- Comprehensive Scenario Testing: Allowing rapid evaluation of up to fifty simultaneous traffic management strategies.
Iteris claims this sophisticated approach can reduce analytical time by up to forty percent compared to traditional methods, a critical advantage given the project’s tight timeline.
Learning from the Traffic Signal Priority Pilot
Harbor Boulevard’s initiative doesn’t start from scratch. Iteris has already been working closely with OCTA through the Traffic Signal Priority Pilot Study, which saw nine intersections in Fullerton equipped with signal adjustments giving buses priority during peak hours. The pilot yielded impressive results, increasing bus speeds by approximately six percent and significantly reducing delays.
Drawing on these successful outcomes, the Harbor Boulevard Transit Initiative will extend similar signal priority enhancements to all 53 intersections along the corridor. OCTA officials are optimistic, with one manager remarking: “Harbor is our stress test. If smart signals and data-driven scheduling work here, they’ll work anywhere in the county.”
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Improved transit efficiency is not just a logistical advantage—it’s an environmental necessity. California’s goal of achieving net-zero transportation emissions by 2045 provides added impetus. OCTA estimates shifting merely five percent of current car trips on Harbor Boulevard to buses could eliminate roughly 1,800 tonnes of CO₂ annually—comparable to planting nearly 30,000 trees.
This substantial environmental impact is pivotal for OCTA’s funding strategy. The authority is actively pursuing grants from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low-No programme and California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Programme. These sources specifically target projects with demonstrable emissions reductions, offering attractive financial support to innovative transit solutions.
Private investors are also watching closely. Improved operational efficiencies from smoother bus journeys present an appealing prospect for infrastructure investment. As one analyst succinctly noted: “A well-timed signal is the cheapest bus you’ll ever buy.”
Project Timeline and Key Milestones
The Harbor Boulevard Transit Initiative officially commenced this month and is scheduled to conclude by December 2025, structured around critical planning phases:
- Diagnostic Baseline (Spring 2025): Integrating existing traffic data with new field studies.
- Scenario Development (Summer 2025): Detailed microsimulation testing and refinement.
- Stakeholder Engagement (Autumn 2025): Collaborative workshops with city officials, emergency services, and community representatives.
- Conceptual Plan Release (December 2025): Presenting a clear, phased roadmap complete with cost assessments and implementation schedules.
Actual construction—such as signal upgrades, road markings, and accessibility improvements—could begin as early as 2026, pending OCTA board approval.
Opportunities for Construction and Tech Providers
For construction firms, technology providers, and systems integrators, the Harbor Boulevard project represents substantial commercial opportunities, potentially exceeding USD 30 million.
Key areas include:
- ITS Hardware: Advanced signal controllers, detection equipment, and network infrastructure.
- Civil Engineering Works: Street improvements, kerb adjustments, and enhanced bus stop facilities.
- System Integration: Software implementation, cybersecurity measures, and data management infrastructure.
- Maintenance Contracts: Long-term operational and technical support services.
These components represent significant long-term investments, creating sustainable business opportunities within Orange County’s rapidly modernising transport landscape.
A Bright Road Ahead
With Iteris’s state-of-the-art traffic management systems at the forefront, OCTA’s Harbor Boulevard Transit Initiative promises to redefine mobility standards in Orange County. The combination of smart technology, data-driven planning, and collaborative stakeholder engagement ensures the project’s success.
Ultimately, this initiative is more than a simple upgrade—it’s a powerful blueprint for future transit corridors throughout California and beyond.
