The overview
Safety improvements will address three intersections along Highlands Boulevard. Estimated construction costs provided by staff, along with recommended safety additions, include:
- Highlands Boulevard at Bee Creek Road, raised crosswalks and rectangular rapid flashing beacons: $266,200
- Highlands Boulevard at Tavish Trail, raised crosswalk and a pedestrian crossing signal, also known as a high intensity activated crosswalk: $171,360
- Highlands Boulevard and Lakeway Boulevard, left turn lane and median extension: $836,279
The details
A funding source for the safety improvements has not yet been formally decided by the city; however, City Manager Joseph Molis suggested tapping into the city’s Capital Reserve Fund, which currently has a reserve of $4.1 million.
Of the three projects, the intersection of Highlands Boulevard and Tavish Trail will be prioritized, with council member Jennifer Szimanski saying that the intersection poses an imminent danger to pedestrians.
“I definitely want to advocate for Tavish, those measures that we’ve suggested here, to be done ASAP, in this budget cycle,” Szimanski said. “They seem to be not as costly as the other two projects. ... And I think it’s by far the most dangerous—especially with summer coming up, that whole stretch is an accident waiting to happen.”
Szimanski previously said that children crossing the intersection face dangers posed by drivers who are not able to see them before stopping.
To address this, the city plans to implement a raised crosswalk and a pedestrian crossing signal.
What’s next
Council voted unanimously to direct staff to immediately begin the process of implementing a raised crosswalk and mast arm HAWK signal at Highlands Boulevard and Tavish Trail.
Staff were also directed to do the same for the roundabout at Bee Creek Road, without flashing beacons for the time being. Additionally, they were directed to expand the scope of Lakeway Boulevard’s safety improvements to include The Hills Drive, and do further research with a traffic consultant on what the best options for safety at that intersection would be.
