TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Construction is set to begin Aug. 6 on a new High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, or HAWK, signal at the busy intersection of Country Club Road and Seneca Street, a project city officials say is intended to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders.
The intersection in Midtown Tucson currently lacks a protected pedestrian crossing despite serving nearby neighborhoods, bus stops and future bicycle infrastructure. The City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility expects the project to be completed by the end of the year.
For nearby resident Rebecca Russ, the improvements are long overdue.
"My very first day moving in here, my husband and I are on the porch out here and we see somebody get hit turning onto our street," Russ said. "And we were like, did we just move into the wrong place?"
Russ has lived three houses from the intersection for more than a decade and said she has witnessed numerous close calls involving vehicles and pedestrians.
"There's no middle lane so it backs up traffic really bad," she said. "There's a bus stop on both sides over there … And Tucson drivers are psycho!"
HAWK signals, which stand for High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, are pedestrian-activated traffic signals designed to stop vehicle traffic only when someone needs to cross. The signals remain dark until activated by a pedestrian or cyclist, then cycle through flashing and solid lights that require motorists to stop before allowing people to cross safely.
According to the Department of Transportation and Mobility, the Country Club and Seneca intersection was selected from roughly 300 locations evaluated for potential HAWK installations.
In a statement, the department said the location was chosen because it "is near schools and several bus stops, is on a future Bike Boulevard, and there are 4 lanes of travel, so it was determined that a Bike HAWK would be the best option."
Russ said crossing the roadway can be intimidating, particularly for families with young children.
"It's scary to cross right there," she said. "People will not stop for you!"
She said she hopes the new signal will prevent future crashes.
"You'll see those little kids run across it and it's so, so scary!" Russ said.
Construction is expected to continue through the remainder of the year while crews install the new pedestrian crossing infrastructure. The city has not announced whether temporary lane restrictions or traffic impacts will accompany the project. Once complete, the HAWK signal will provide a protected crossing for pedestrians and cyclists traveling through one of Midtown Tucson's busiest corridors.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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