New signs to make pedestrian crossings safer
10th South and South Payne Street is one of the intersections that will be receiving the new crossing signs. The signs will have blinking lights, making drivers more aware of pedestrians in danger zones.
Center and Garden Street is a very popular intersection as Center Street brings people into town and Garden Street brings kids to and from school. As such, it was a perfect candidate for one of the new RRFB pedestrian crossing signs
10th South and South Payne Street is one of the intersections that will be receiving the new crossing signs. The signs will have blinking lights, making drivers more aware of pedestrians in danger zones.
Center and Garden Street is a very popular intersection as Center Street brings people into town and Garden Street brings kids to and from school. As such, it was a perfect candidate for one of the new RRFB pedestrian crossing signs
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NEW ULM -- A grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation will help to make busy pedestrian crossings safer than ever.
The New Ulm City Council approved a grant of $171,336.53 to the city of New Ulm to install crossing signs in six locations. These locations are the corners of Center Street and Highland Avenue, Center Street and Garden Street, 10th South Street and Payne Street, North Highland Avenue and North Broadway/KC Road, North Highland Avenue and CSAH 29, and 5th North Street and Washington Street.
The locations were chosen with two types of traffic in mind. Locations along Center Street and North Highland Avenue run along the Recreational Trail. The trail has a high volume of foot traffic, and the roads have plenty of car traffic.
Intersections like 5th North and Washington Street are walking routes for local public and parochial school systems. This also includes the Center and Garden Street intersection, subject to the recent traffic study on how to make the intersection safer and more pedestrian-friendly.
These signs will look like typical bright yellow crossing signs. What will make them different are the Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons (RRFB) installed within them. The beacons will alternately flash two yellow lights, ensuring trail and sidewalk users are more visible at marked crosswalk locations. The beacons were chosen by the city as a pedestrian safety initiative, as installations of RRFBs have reduced pedestrian crashes by nearly 50%.
These are the first installations of their kind in New Ulm, but they have been tested and used across Minnesota. City Engineer Joseph Stadheim laid out the process for receiving this grant funding.
"We were notified on July 28 we received funding for this project," he said. "Council authorized plans and specs and submitted the dates at the September 19 meeting. We opened bids on October 11. Bids came in 11% under the engineer’s estimate, and I am happy to inform you the state is going to cover 100% of this project."
Stadheim said the plan is for the project to be finished by the spring of 2024. "I won't stand in the way of progress," Councilman Eric Warmka said as he motioned to approve the grant funding and project plans. Christian seconded the motion.