Students get off the bus for the first day of school at Bush Elementary in 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Three Salem intersections are getting a facelift to make them safer for pedestrians – especially kids walking to school.
The City of Salem was recently awarded $2 million from the state Department of Transportation to add marked crosswalks, median islands and other safety features at three intersections along common walking routes to Highland, Swegle, Miller and Mary Eyre elementary schools.
Julie Warncke, the city’s transportation planning manager, said city workers decided which projects to submit by looking at resident requests for safety improvements submitted to Salem’s can submit requests for safety improvements at intersections.
They also talked to school district leaders about needs.
Local schools in recent years have worked to increase the share of students attending class regularly. Project applications note that at many Salem-Keizer schools, transportation challenges are a major reason students are chronically absent from school.
City staff selected five requests that were within school walking zones and that they believed would score well in a state evaluation of projects to improve school walking safety.
Salem has five years to complete the improvements and has to contribute $480,000 to match the state money.
Here’s an overview.
Planned locations for new sidewalk and a marked crosswalk near Mary Eyre and Miller elementary schools in south Salem. (Courtesy/City of Salem)
Mary Eyre and Miller elementary schools – Caplinger Rd. SE & Macleay Rd. SE
This area has several new apartment complexes with 260 total units, but no sidewalks on the side of the street that kids need to traverse to get from the apartments to either of the two nearby elementary schools, according to the city’s application.
The city’s plan would install about 750 feet of sidewalk on the south side of Caplinger Road Southeast and 500 feet on the west side of Macleay Road Southeast, allowing pedestrians to stay out of the roadway.
The city also plans to install a crosswalk and median island at the intersection.
This project accounts for the bulk of the award, with $1.76 million from the state.
A crosswalk planned across Broadway Street Northeast near Highland Elementary School (Courtesy/City of Salem)
Highland Elementary – Broadway St. NE & Locust St. NE
Salem’s Capital Improvement Plan already calls for improvements along the stretch of Broadway Street Northeast from Pine Street Northeast to Tryon Street Northeast.
That project, which Warncke said is likely to happen in 2022, would reduce Broadway from two lanes to one in each direction, and add bike lanes and a center turn lane, creating space for crosswalk improvements.
The school safety project would add a pedestrian crossing island in the median on the north side of the street, as well as a marked crosswalk and overhead lighting.
“Drivers are not recognizing this location as a pedestrian crossing area, as it is currently unmarked. Drivers are not yielding to pedestrians as a result,” the project application says.
The state gave Salem $112,800 for the improvements.
A crosswalk planned across Sunnyview Road Northeast near Swegle Elementary School (Courtesy/City of Salem)
Swegle Elementary – Sunnyview Rd. NE & Hollywood Dr. NE
This intersection is a major traffic point for students, with Swegle Elementary School, McKay High School and Blanchet Catholic School all within a half mile. Several large apartment complexes are also close.
Currently, the intersection is unmarked, leaving students crossing “in an unsafe condition on a high-volume street,” according to the city’s application.
The city plans to add a marked crosswalk with sidewalk ramps, overhead lighting and a median island in the east part of the intersection to improve visibility for students and other pedestrians crossing.
The state gave Salem $124,000 for the improvements.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
