Improving crosswalk

Oakland Bay Junior High students act tentatively before they set foot on the crossing that leads them across Wallace Kneeland Boulevard. That apprehension is understandable.

The students press a button to trigger lights at the midblock crossing of the four-lane road, intended to stop traffic. But many drivers ignore both the light and the requirement to slow their speeds to 20 mph. Even if the vehicle in one lane stops at the crossing, another vehicle in the other lane blows right on through with students in the crosswalk.

Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko for years has highlighted how dangerous the crossing is for the teens. And on Tuesday evening, the Shelton City Council gave preliminary approval to pay SCJ Alliance $40,000 to create a midblock crossing safety improvement design. The council can make it official with a second vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. April 1 at the Shelton Civic Center.

“It’s very important to me,” Onisko told the council audience.

Onisko said that while filming at the crosswalk, he captured images of a car hitting a child’s hand.

The city budgeted money in the 2025 budget to cover the expenses for the design work. According to the city report by the Public Works Department, money will be budgeted for the project once the design is complete.

“The purpose of this project is to develop an alternative design for this existing crossing to provide enhanced advanced visual warning, due to its proximity to a curve in the road,” the report states. “A midstreet refuge island will be considered in the ultimate design for this crossing.”

Aaron Nix, the city’s assistant Public Works Director, said he hopes the city will have the design by August. Flashing beacon lights likely will be a feature, he said.

“It will be similar to what we did in front of the (Shelton) high school,” he said.

The overhead sign that marks the crossing has been struck a couple times, and replacement parts are no longer available for it, he pointed out.