Travis County will be installing a pedestrian hybrid beacon at the intersection of Steiner Ranch Boulevard and Grimes Ranch Road, in the Steiner Ranch neighborhood south of Lake Travis, said David Greear, Travis County assistant public works director. Grimes Ranch Road intersects with Steiner Ranch Boulevard in two locations. The pedestrian hybrid beacon will be constructed at the intersection southwest of Burks Lane, Greear said. Tom Henry and his daughters, Meagan and Caitlin, residents of Steiner Ranch, said traffic at the intersection is a safety concern for pedestrians. Tom Henry said pedestrians walking to Laura Welch Bush Elementary School are in danger of being hit by vehicles. “I think it’s a very dangerous intersection,” Meagan Henry said. “It’s extremely hard to be seen [as a pedestrian] and then see others.” The girls spoke about the intersection at a Travis County Citizens Bond Advisory Committee public outreach meeting in Lakeway on June 29, their father said. They asked for the committee to consider added traffic safety controls at the intersection, according to a copy of their presentation. Meagan Henry said a hedge and trees limit visibility at the intersection. “The cars can’t see you, either, so you have to wait until there’s perfectly no cars,” Caitlin Henry said. Currently, the intersection of Grimes Ranch Road and Steiner Ranch Boulevard includes crosswalks for pedestrians.[/caption] Greear said Travis County’s plans for the pedestrian hybrid beacon include a signal facing both directions of traffic on Steiner Ranch Boulevard. The signal will only be activated by pedestrians pushing a button, Greear said. When the button is pushed, the traffic lights will begin flashing yellow, then transition to a solid red to indicate traffic to stop. Pedestrians will receive a “walk” signal while the traffic is stopped, and then the traffic light will start flashing red, which cars will treat as a stop sign, Greear said. After potentially around 20 seconds as a flashing red signal, the light will go blank and turn off, allowing drivers to pass the intersection without stopping until pedestrians push the "walk" button again, Greear said. “The No. 1 motivation [in creating the pedestrian hybrid beacon] is when we had our bond neighborhood meetings, we had several students come up and speak and ask for this,” Greear said. Travis County will be using its operating budget to finance the project, so it is not included on the list of Travis County bond projects, said Cynthia McDonald, Travis County’s chief deputy for transportation and natural resources. She said the project is estimated to cost between $80,000-$90,000. Greear said the project is currently under design, and construction may take place around December and January. The city of Austin, as part of an interlocal agreement with Travis County, will be paid by the county to construct the pedestrian hybrid beacon, Greear said.