CHARLOTTE — After a series of serious and deadly crashes across Charlotte, the city is moving forward with nearly $2 million dollars in street safety improvements.
For people who walk along Central Avenue, getting from one side of the street to the other can be a daily challenge.
“They’d have to walk all the way down to this light,” business owner John Shipp said, “come across, nobody wants to do that I cross the street up this way too.”
In February, a 48-year-old man was hit and killed on Central Avenue. Four months later, 17-year-old Angelina Chicas died in a crash on nearby North Sharon Amity Road.
Now, the City is taking steps to improve safety at seven locations, including Central Avenue near Sharon Amity.
“Those are locations in the city where we see an increased number of fatal and serious injury collisions,” CDOT Deputy Director Charlie Jones, “We’re also installing a pedestrian hybrid beacon. They almost look like a traffic signal, and they provide a stop for vehicles on the road and allow pedestrians time to cross”
So now there will be some improvements including:
- Flashing crossing beacons
- Pedestrian signal upgrades
- Sidewalk improvements
- Accessible ramps
In addition to the pedestrian signals, the upgrades include flashing beacons to alert drivers when someone is crossing, and improvements to sidewalks and accessible ramps.
Shipp lives and works along Central Avenue and has watched east Charlotte grow for more than three decades.
“Oh, it’s changed a lot,” Shipp said, “a lot of change. When I came here, maybe 400,000 people. Now a million.”
As Charlotte grows, so does the need for safer streets.
“The city’s goal is mobility, and everyone should have a safe choice in mobility, whether it’s walking, biking, using a vehicle, or riding public transit.”
This is just the first phase; five more locations are in the pipeline, with the goal of completing all twelve projects by 2028.