A new crosswalk is improving pedestrian safety at an increasingly busy corner of Rockville Town Center.
A new temporary crosswalk and signage was installed on Jan. 19 on East Middle Lane at Helen Heneghan Way. Winter weather made it impossible to install the permanent thermoplastic striping and to make modifications to the ramp in order to make the crosswalk handicap accessible. The new crosswalk is a stopgap until the spring when the city’s contractor will replace the temporary striping with a permanent crosswalk with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps on the west side of the intersection.
The city’s Department of Public Works developed the pedestrian safety solution in response to a community request received by the Mayor and Council. Community members were concerned about pedestrians crossing a section of East Middle Lane without a crosswalk, at Helen Heneghan Way near Panera Bread.
Public Works Director Craig Simoneau said that while the city is hesitant about putting crosswalks where there is no stop sign or traffic signal “several field investigations showed that a high number of pedestrians were crossing at this location, so we started exploring the option of adding a new crosswalk [last] summer.”