FDOT started work on two new pedestrian crosswalks crossing 3rd Street at 7th Avenue North and 3rd Avenue South.<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. \u2014 More lights are on the way, adding more stops for drivers on 3rd Street in Jacksonville Beach, all in the name of safety.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Transportation is creating two new crosswalks with lights crossing 3rd Street at 7th Avenue North and 3rd Avenue South in Jacksonville Beach.<\/p>\n
“We were just on a quick break from work, went for a walk,” said Alan Hackney while walking in Jacksonville Beach.<\/p>\n
That walk led Alan Hackney to face a daunting task: crossing 3rd Street without the help of a crosswalk.<\/p>\n
It’s the most stressful part of a trek he makes pretty regularly.<\/p>\n
“When we’re alone, we get to walk across 3rd Street, but with the kids, we have to go about four blocks down to find a crosswalk,” said Hackney.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hackney’s days of seeking refuge in the median while halfway across at 7th\u00a0Avenue North may be coming to an end.<\/p>\n
FDOT announced plans for two new crosswalks with overhead beacons to stop traffic.<\/p>\n
“The reason they started that is all because of safety,” said Brie Isom with FDOT. “We want to make sure pedestrians are safe when they’re leaving the beach and crossing the street. We want to make sure drivers are safe.”<\/p>\n
Isom says the crosswalks will feature a pedestrian hybrid beacon to alert drivers when someone is crossing the street – almost identical to the one about five blocks South at Second Avenue North.<\/p>\n