Austin pedestrians might hear a familiar voice next time they cross Lamar Boulevard. On Feb. 16, the city of Austin introduced new audio for accessible pedestrian signals at several intersections along Lamar Boulevard using Ray Benson’s voice from Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel.

The “walk,” “wait” and “don’t walk” audio signals from the singer help blind and visually impaired people stay safe while crossing the street, Austin Transportation Safety Officer Lewis Leff said.

In the coming weeks, Benson’s voice will be installed at 18 intersections along Lamar Boulevard.

Benson, originally from Philadelphia, moved to Austin with his band in 1973, where he spent the majority of his career and later opened a recording studio.

The Austin Transportation Department chose Benson due to his “iconic” voice and because they had connections through a staff member.

“I didn’t know how much accent to use, [but] I thought I’d keep it a little Texas,” Benson said.

Benson said he did not particularly enjoy the recording process as he had to do about 60 takes.

“It was very boring,” he said. “Sometimes saving lives can be boring.”

Despite the time sink, Benson said the recordings were “one of his career goals.”

“It was just cool,” Benson said. “I always hope that we do cool stuff in Austin, Texas, opposed to predictable stuff.”