Moscow eyes safety upgrades near middle school

Moscow was recently selected to receive a state grant for projects intended to make intersections near Moscow Middle School safer for pedestrians.

Moscow plans to use part of the $250,000 from the state’s Children Pedestrian Safety program to eliminate the left-turn lanes at the D Street and Mountain View Road intersection. This will reduce the maximum number of drivers that can be stopped at the intersection from eight to four.

The goal behind this change is to reduce the number of lanes students, crossing guards and other pedestrians must monitor when attempting to navigate the intersection on foot.

Moscow grants manager Alisa Anderson said during a Moscow Public Works Committee meeting Monday that a crossing guard reported being nearly hit by vehicles several times at that intersection.

There will not be islands in the center of the road under this plan. Instead, the lanes will be reduced by extending the curb toward the center lane.

City supervisor Bill Belknap said while this change may cause some delays for cars, pedestrians should be able to cross the intersection more quickly.

The city is also planning to use this grant money to extend the existing curb system and create a safer pedestrian waiting area near the intersection of B and Cleveland streets. This intersection is often used as a drop-off and pick-up location for Moscow Middle School students.

The city believes the extended curb system will provide more area for this purpose without blocking the nearby driveways or intersection.

As part of the grant, the city must complete this project by Dec. 9. In addition to the $250,000 from the state, the city will fund the projects with $50,000 from its Sidewalk Program budget.

In other business, the Moscow City Council will vote next week on an agreement with the state to begin the design and construction of a pedestrian underpass just south of the busy U.S. Highway 95 and State Highway 8 intersection.

The new underpass will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to travel underneath U.S. 95 without using nearby crosswalks and disrupting traffic flow.

City engineer Nate Suhr said the intersection will mimic the one underneath the Styner Avenue and White Avenue intersection. It will connect to Paradise Path, which leads to the UI campus.

Moscow was awarded nearly $500,000 in federal funding for the $1 million project. The city and the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency will split the remaining cost.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.