‘Dangerous’ intersection could get upgrade
Posted on Thursday, October 9, 2008
BROOKE McNEELY Northwest Arkansas Times Paula Marinoni stands with other volunteers Wednesday to promote crosswalk safety as Fayetteville High School students cross Sixth Street to return to school after lunch. Wednesday was Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day.
This lack of war ning devices is one reason Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day exists.
Wednesday was the city of Fayetteville's fifth annual Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day, an annual event the police department and concerned citizens use to focus on the fact that pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks.
"We covered all the schools and major intersections," said Paula Marinoni, Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day founder.
Marinoni said they try to During Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day, the event's founder labeled one intersection adjacent to Fayetteville High School as one of the most dangerous places to cross the street in Fayetteville.
The intersection, which could get an upgrade in the coming months, is Garland Avenue and Sixth Street. The crosswalk there is often used by students during the school's open campus lunch period, but it currently has no traffic signal or warning lights. cover about 20 crosswalks at schools and major intersections around the city. Part of the idea is to cover enough crosswalks that anyone driving through the city would notice the signs.
"The signs are a visual reminder," she said.
Earlier this year, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department deter mined following a study that a traffic signal was "warranted"at the intersection of Garland Avenue and Sixth Street, according to department district engineer Joe Shipman. Sixth Street is a state highway.
Finding that the traffic warrants the installation of a traffic signal, though, does not necessarily mean funding is available. Shipman said funding could take two to four years if the city wants to wait on federal highway dollars to assist the project.
However, the depar tment may grant a permit to upgrade an intersection if the city wants to proceed with a project at its own expense.
City engineer Ron Petrie said they have been working on a plan to improve the intersection and install a traffic signal. The plan will be presented to the department later this week.
"We've done the construction plans," he said.
If the department approves the plan, it is possible work on the intersection could begin in February and be finished in March.
The school district has expressed a willingness to pay for the signal improvement at the intersection.
FHS Principal Jim Price said he is looking forward to the intersection getting an upgrade.
"Every day, the number of kids we have that cross that street for lunch, it makes me nervous just thinking about it," he said.
Marinoni said she hopes the intersection gets an upgrade at least by next year's Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day.
"If it's not done by next year, that's going to be pretty bad," she said. "Every day is borrowed time."
Most of the volunteers who went down to the intersection Wednesday agreed the condition there "was much worse than they thought," Marinoni said.
Wednesday was probably a better day than usual for students crossing the street, she said, because of the safety awareness signs.
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