Crosswalk improvements give boost to pedestrian safety

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Crossing a busy street on foot can be an intimidating experience even for the most seasoned pedestrians, but now people crossing a highway onramp in west Vancouver have a reason to relax a little. The Washington State Department of Transportation improved a crosswalk across an onramp onto westbound state Highway 14 from Columbia House Boulevard. The agency improved the existing crosswalk by painting a stop bar on the roadway well ahead of the crossing, refreshing the crossing paint and adding flashing lights to the tops of crossing signs on either side of the roadway. The work took about five days to complete. The crosswalk is part of a pedestrian path that connects the Columbia Way neighborhood to restaurants and shopping at the Grand Central retail center. WSDOT spokesman Bart Treece said the improvements will benefit drivers and pedestrians alike. With a push of the button on either of the poles, people can cross the road with more confidence that vehicles will see them. Drivers speeding up to merge onto the highway will have an extra visual cue to tell them when to slow down and where to stop. "The guessing game has been reduced here," Treece said. The $27,000 project was paid for by WSDOT's bike and pedestrian program. WSDOT chose to improve the crosswalk after working with the city of Vancouver to create a list of locations where pedestrian or bicycle safety could be improved.