City installing mid-block crosswalk on Northeast Fourth

Published 6:30 pm Wednesday, July 17, 2013

A dangerous roadway is about to get a little safer for pedestrians to cross.

City workers this week began installing a new median and light system on Northeast Fourth Street near Queen Avenue Northeast, near the location where two teens were hit by a car while trying to cross earlier this year.

Residents have long complained about the dangers of the roadway and the lack of adequate crossings, especially near a bus stop across the street from the Maplewood Park Apartments.

A petition with 100 signatures was presented to the council in May, following the accident that sent two boys to the hospital.

In response, the city is installing a new “mid-block” crosswalk, complete with a “pedestrian refuge island” in the median and a light system to warn drivers.

“We want to provide an active traffic control device in that installation,” said Chris Barnes, manager of transportation operations for the city.

The new crossing lights will be installed in two phases.

Barnes said ultimately the crossing will feature a “HAWK” light, a traffic signal pioneered in Tucson, Ariz., and adopted by federal standards.

The HAWK light, an acronym for “High-intensity Activated crossWalK,” features a pair of yellow light that can be triggered to red to warn drivers of a pedestrian.

However, at this time the city does not have the right-of-way to install the devices, which reach out over the road. So initially, a more traditional, rectangular rapid-flashing beacon, also activated by a pedestrian, will be installed.

Barnes said the hope is to have the HAWK signal in place by the end of August.

In addition to the new crossing, which also includes ramps for wheelchair access, Metro King County has agreed to move their bus stop to the east to help create a safer place for pedestrians.

Barnes said the total cost of the new system is about $85,000 and it is being done as a “real cooperative effort” between the city and King County, who is supplying the cost of the signal construction.

Plans for the improved crossing have been in the works for some time and the project was included in this year’s budget prior to the accident in May, but Barnes said the injuries to the two teens attempting to cross Northeast Fourth put a renewed focus on the project.

Councilwoman Marcie Palmer, chair of the city council’s transportation and aviation committee said she was pleased something was being done to help residents cross what she called a “super busy road.”

“I’m glad that we’re doing something up there,” she said. “It is such a huge, long block and kids are going to run across there.”

Palmer also thanked Metro for agreeing to move their bus stop.

Palmer said she understands that some drivers may initially not like an additional crosswalk, but said it was worth it and soon enough drivers will get used to it.

“People adapt,” she said. “What’s most important is people’s lives.”