The Town Council heard an update on the design for the proposed pedestrian crosswalk on Saguaro Blvd. at Tower Drive at its April 6 regular session.

After the council approved the project in February, staff told the council it would be back with the 30 percent design concept, which is what was presented last week. The presentation provided additional detail that was not available in February.

Kimberly Carroll, PE PTOR, with Kimley-Horn, the firm hired by the town for the design work, said the design is somewhat different than the general concept presented in February. One of the main differences is moving the location of the crosswalk slightly to accommodate a concrete ramp on the Desert Vista Park side of Saguaro.

When asked by Councilman Gerry Friedel why that is necessary, Carroll explained that they discovered a significant deviation in the elevation (about two feet) between Saguaro Blvd. and the level of the frontage road at that location. She said the ramp is necessary to eliminate the steep grade required to change levels and make the walkway Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

The crosswalk crosses all four traffic lanes of Saguaro Blvd. and the frontage road to access the sidewalk at Tower Drive. There will be a safe staging area in the Saguaro median to allow pedestrians to wait for traffic if necessary.

The crosswalk will provide a pedestrian-activated flashing beacon to warn traffic that there are pedestrians crossing. Four 18-foot streetlights to improve nighttime visibility will be installed on either side of Saguaro and on either side of the median. There will be a secondary button in the median if the beacon needs to be reactivated for pedestrians.

On the southbound side of Saguaro, a new sidewalk will be installed between Quinto and Bond drives to accommodate the residential neighborhood. The six-foot-wide sidewalk will include access ramps at Quinto and Bond. Sidewalk construction will work around water meters in the path to avoid the costs of relocation. However, one backflow preventer and a fire hydrant will be relocated. There are also four sections along the sidewalk that will require construction of retaining walls to address issues with the terrain. Retaining wall heights are from one foot to 2.5 feet in height.

Pavement striping for the crosswalk will include high-visibility piano key configuration with “ped xing” signage on the pavement and a no passing stripe as traffic approaches the crosswalk. There is also a saw-tooth stop bar for traffic.

The crosswalk proposal came from the town’s Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee. There is no protected crossing along Saguaro Blvd. between Shea and El Lago boulevards, approximately three miles. The Desert Vista location has an extensive residential neighborhood across the major arterial roadway from a park. The park has a playground, skate park and soccer fields, as well as the adjoining dog park. Staff views this as an ideal location to provide improved pedestrian access. It also provides easy access to Tioga Drive to Panorama Drive and to Fountain Park and the Lake Overlook Trail access.

The council had previously approved the $85,000 cost of the project with its February review. The funding will now be split between the current fiscal year Capital Fund and the Capital budget for the next fiscal year.

The council will have another look at the project at the final design. Construction should begin in June, according to Carroll.