Fort Lauderdale's streets are set for a safety upgrade, as officials have green-lighted the installation of a new HAWK signal system at a downtown intersection, utility upgrades and resurfacing work, all poised to make pedestrian travel safer and more efficient. Scheduled to spark into action on Tuesday, April 16 and planned for completion in July, barring setbacks, the overhaul at Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southeast 1st Street is being bankrolled by state gas tax funds.
According to Broward County's announcement, addition to the HAWK — a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk system — locals can expect new additions such as a traffic control cabinet, pedestrian push button pedestals, and all-important accessibility enhancements. The sidewalk and ramps will be brought up to snuff with current ADA standards in an effort to keep the thoroughfare not just car-friendly but friendly to all comers.
Understandably, the prospect of construction, no matter how beneficial in the long term, brings murmurs of concern about present-day inconveniences. Officials have soothed such worries, promising that contractor personnel and on-site inspection staff will be working in close quarters with residents and nearby businesses to soften the blow of the construction impacts.
Questions about the project, it seems, won't go unanswered. Martin Montoya, the project manager, has been tapped as point person, reachable at 954-577-4633 or [email protected] for those seeking more information. Further assistance is available through a call to the Highway Construction and Engineering Division at 954-577-4555, ready to address any queries about the future face of Southeast 3rd Avenue and Southeast 1st Street.
