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New Lighted Crosswalk to be Installed at Tigard High School
A much-needed crosswalk lighting system, including in-road pavement lights and advance
warning beacons, will be installed on Durham Road at 88th Avenue across from Tigard High.
The work will begin this month with removal of existing pavement and placement of new
concrete pavement to prepare for installation of the in-road lights. Because of
the time needed to obtain the components, the lighting equipment will not be
installed until late May or early June of this year. The lights will be
activated and the crosswalk will be available for use after the current
school year. This is to let pedestrians and drivers get used to the
system during the summer.Durham Road is a very busy arterial with traffic volume at over 20,000 vehicles per day. There are rarely traffic gaps large enough for pedestrians to safely cross the street. A traffic study showed that a large number of pedestrians (many of them Tigard High students) jaywalk across Durham Road in the vicinity of 88th Avenue. This practice is unsafe. The study recommended a marked crosswalk at this location for safer crossings. Pavement lights and beacons are highly visible during the day and night. Because the lighting system is activated by pedestrians, and not operated on a timed schedule, it should provide ample warning and alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians in the crosswalk. This will greatly enhance safer crossings. Because of heavy traffic volume during the weekdays, construction may occur at night or on the weekends. Contractors will give a 48 hour notice before construction begins. |
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