City of Kirksville Receives Grant for School Crosswalk Safety Improvements

The city of Kirksville has received funding from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for a Transportation Alternatives Grant that will go toward crosswalk safety improvements near the city’s several educational campuses.

This grant award follows a previous grant the city received, which enabled a crosswalk study last year done by Allstate Consultants around the schools. The studied area covered 5.2 miles near A.T. Still University, Truman State University, Moberly Area Community College and Kirksville R-III Schools.

Recommendations from that study will now be implemented to further protect and enable pedestrians and cyclists in important parts of the community.

Potential improvements include:

•    Repaired pavement at crosswalks
•    Replacement of current pavement markings or installation of new types
•    Creation of new crosswalks
•    Addition or reconstruction of curb ramps
•    Upgrades to new industry standards for lights or signage, such as crosswalk lights that are only enabled at the presence of a pedestrian

No speed limit issues were found as part of the study, so no changes were recommended. Of the surveyed areas, only four crashes with a pedestrian or cyclist have been reported since 2012. However, some crosswalks showed either pedestrians or motorists paid little attention to signage or lighting.

The total project cost is estimated to be $425,000. The grant covers 80 percent, or $340,000, with the city paying the remainder.