With an eye on public safety, the Falls Township Supervisors on Monday set the wheels in motion for greater pedestrian protection along a state-owned roadway.
The board unanimously approved a bid award in the amount of $59,990 which entails the installation of crosswalk signals, rectangular rapid flash beacon traffic control devices and a widened shoulder on New Falls Road and Vermillion Drive.
Even though New Falls Road is owned by the state, Supervisor Jeff Boraski said the township is sponsoring the pedestrian improvements.
“I’m excited to finally see it come through,” Boraski said of the project, which is focused on the area that crosses Thornridge to Vermillion.
Boraski, whose second term ends in 2025, said the board approved a sidewalk during the first year of his first term. “It’s kind of bittersweet for me to finalize the project in some of my last meetings as a supervisor.”
Supervisor Chairman Jeff Dence said “this has been a long time coming.”
Driving along New Falls Road from Penn Valley Road to Tyburn Road, you can see a couple of memorials already in place, Boraski said.
The walkways will be equipped with wired push buttons for crossing on both sides of the crosswalk, Boraski said, adding that the township will call on police to step up enforcement in the area.
“We’ve had some incidents there and probably more close calls than you can imagine,” Boraski said previously. “We want the traffic to stop to allow these children and their families to cross safely.”
Boraski added that the project is “a step in the right direction” in improving safety along New Falls Road. Rectangular rapid flash beacons are designed to increase driver awareness of pedestrians crossing roadways at marked midblock crossings. The beacons consist of rectangular shaped amber LED lights installed below pedestrian warning signs.
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