May 14. By Dave Vieser. Town officials say two new crosswalks on West Catawba Avenue, which should be installed and activated by Memorial Day, will be a big step toward making the two-lane artery safer for pedestrians.
But they’ll be torn up shortly before a $34 million widening project takes place in 2028-2029.
Background
Joan Messier was killed December 1, 2022, when she was trying to cross West Catawba at Westmoreland Lake Drive. Police at the time said she wasn’t using a crosswalk, although the nearest ones were more than half a mile away.
The new crosswalks, costing the town $75,000 each, will be on West Catawba Avenue between Harborside Drive and Ramsey Cove Drive, which is a short distance south of the spot where Messier was struck, as well as on West Catawba south of Preston Lake Drive, across from Robbins Park. These locations were selected following a traffic study conducted by Kimley Horne consultants.
Even with the new crossings, there will still be a significant distance between them and existing traffic signals, something which town board members plan to address.
Safety first
“Public safety always ranks No. 1 among our citizen concerns” said Commissioner Todd Sansbury. “ This board values citizen input, and we want to ensure that our community has safe and viable pathways for bikers, walkers and runners to navigate Cornelius.” As a result, the board plans to ask the town to study the need for additional crossings, including West Catawba near the new townhome development known as the Retreat, Catawba Avenue east of I-77 and on Washam Potts Road.
Sansbury
The crosswalks will be Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons which are similar to the ones on Jetton Road near Jetton Park.
As to their location, town officials explained why they are not placed precisely at intersections. “We call these mid-block crossings,” said Assistant Town Manager Tyler Beardsley. “Since there are not traffic signals in the area of the planned or proposed crossings, they are not located at intersections to reduce the number of turning movements and potential conflict points between pedestrians and motorists.”
The new crossing signals will be replaced with HAWK signals like the one on Westmoreland Road or utilizing a traffic signal as part of the West Catawba widening project.
With the West Catawba widening project, there will be a signalized crosswalk in the area of Dunmore Drive and Kenton Place.
