Visibility upgrades on the way for GMD crosswalks

The Florida Department of Transportation’s clock has started on a new project to upgrade crosswalks along Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

According to Longboat Key Public Works Director Isaac Brownman, the FDOT project extends all the way to Anna Maria Island and is intended to enhance mid-block crosswalks along the state road. Mid-block crosswalks are crosswalks not at an intersection. 

Four crosswalks on Longboat Key are planned for future improvements, and one crosswalk will be added to the town. No funds are needed from the town budget.

The new crosswalk will be implemented just north of the Broadway Street intersection. Here, FDOT will install a crosswalk like the ones seen along GMD right now. On either side of the road will be yellow signs, with yellow flashing lights when pedestrians press the button to cross. 

Brownman said that current regulations prohibit FDOT from putting in new flashing pedestrian crosswalks on roads with a speed limit greater than 35 mph. But, the new crosswalk being installed near Broadway Street is in a part of town that is a 35-mph zone. 

On the crosswalks that already exist in 45-mph zones, Brownman said the FDOT is trying to make improvements where it can. Projects like this are aimed at making those crosswalks safer or changing the way they operate, he said. 

To do this, two mid-block crosswalks are being replaced with pedestrian hybrid beacons, also known as HAWK beacons. These are the style of crosswalk seen on U.S. 41, Brownman said. A mast arm with signals will be installed that extends over the roadway. 

With HAWK beacons, pedestrians press the button signaling they want to cross, and then a light on an overhead mast flashes yellow before solidifying to red. This signals vehicles to stop, and pedestrians to cross. The solid red light then flashes red, allowing vehicles to proceed if pedestrians have cleared.

The most southern crosswalk that will be upgraded in this fashion is near the entrance of Longboat Club Road. 

“That is a very busy crosswalk,” Brownman said. “The town has gotten calls in the past about near misses, and we’ve stationed police officers there from time to time.” 

The same style of upgrade will be implemented on the crosswalk near Bayfront Park, another popular crosswalk due to the park and public beach access. 

Two other crosswalks, one near Companion Way and another by the Banyan Bay Club, will get improvements in visibility. Additional roadside lighting will be installed, Brownman said, to make the crosswalks more visible at night. 

Brownman was given a rough timeline of the project, but he said there’s a long lead time for many of the materials necessary. 

“People probably are not going to see a lot of actual construction activity while the contractors are waiting for materials to arrive,” Brownman said.