Menlo Park: More lighted crosswalks coming Menlo Park: More lighted crosswalks coming (October 05, 2005)

By Rory Brown

Almanac Staff Writer

Menlo Park plans to add in-pavement lighting to at least three hazardous crosswalks, and may do the same at five other crosswalks near Hillview Middle School if it wins a state grant.

The three crosswalks are identified by the city's Transportation Commission as particularly dangerous -- Ravenswood Avenue at Alma Street; Santa Cruz Avenue at Johnson Street; and Oak Grove Avenue in front of the post office. The City Council unanimously approved their conversion to lighted crosswalks on August 30.

A lighted crosswalk has high-intensity lights in the pavement on both sides; the lights flash when activated by a motion sensor or pedestrian push button. The flashing lights warn approaching drivers that pedestrians are in the crosswalk.

In-pavement lighted crosswalks are effective during the day as well as at night, said city transportation engineer Rene Baile. The city has two such crosswalks: on Santa Cruz Avenue near Sherman Avenue, and on Crane Street near Crane Place.

Installing the in-pavement lighting system will cost approximately $35,000 per crosswalk, Mr. Baile said. The city budgeted $105,000 for this purpose in the fiscal 2005-06 budget, covering the cost of the three approved lighted crosswalks.

The installation of the remaining five crosswalks depends on the approval of a $395,000 Safe Routes to School grant request submitted in June. If the grant is approved, the city would pay $39,500 -- 10 percent of the cost.

Work on the three approved crosswalks won't start until the city hears whether it has won the Hillview crosswalks grant, and the announcement is expected soon. The city wants to combine the jobs and have them done by the same contractor, Mr. Baile said.

If the city receives the grant, all eight lighted crosswalks will be simultaneously designed and advertised for bidding by spring 2006, he said. If not, the three approved crosswalks will be advertised for bidding by year's end, he said.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.