State to pay for local pedestrian improvement

By Staff
Staff Reports Madison County Record
It will soon be safer for pedestrians to cross streets and busy intersections in Madison – thanks to state funding from the Alabama Department of Transportation.
Madison City Engineer Jo Somers said ALDOT has approved funding for nearly two-dozen pedestrian safety improvement project sites throughout the city. They include flashing warning lights, pedestrian signals with push buttons, crosswalks, crossing signals, and wheelchair ramps.
"In 2001-2002, ALDOT asked the city of Madison to identify – at that time, the top 20 pedestrian project locations in the city that would qualify for state funding," Somers said. "We identified those locations and we've been approved for funding to get these projects done."
The list of proposed projects includes flashing warning lights with school zone and speed signs at Bob Jones High School and Horizon Elementary School, pedestrian signals and crosswalks on Will Halsey Way at Hughes Road, pedestrian signals at Browns Ferry Road and Wall-Triana, and numerous crosswalks and stop lines along Mill Road, Old Madison Pike, Hughes Road, Highland Drive, Madison Public Library, and West Madison School.
Wheelchair ramps are planned on County Line Road at Huntington Chase Drive and on Main Street at Bandito Burrito restaurant.
"We are very glad that funding will be provided by the state to get these pedestrian safety projects done," Somers said. "Otherwise, we would not have been able to get all of these projects done. A timeframe as to when these projects will be done has not been determined. That will be done by the state."