A Flour Bluff resident's question about pedestrian safety is getting a promising answer: the city's ongoing reconstruction of Flour Bluff Drive will include a marked crosswalk and pedestrian signals at Purdue Road.
Emily Miller has lived in Flour Bluff for about five years. Most mornings, her drive takes her through the Flour Bluff Drive and Purdue Road intersection — a stretch lined with neighborhoods where morning traffic is steady.
"Sure, it really concerns me when kids are just trying to get to school safely, and there's no acceptable route for them on any side of Flour Bluff Drive," Miller said.
Miller submitted a request to the city several months ago asking for safety improvements at the intersection.
"I asked for a crosswalk, and I asked for a light, um, so kids can press the button and walk across safely with a signal," Miller said.
Currently, people can cross Purdue Road with a signal at the intersection, but there is no marked crosswalk across Flour Bluff Drive.
Crews are now rebuilding Flour Bluff Drive from Don Patricio to Yorktown as part of a $23 million project funded by the city's 2022 bond program. The city confirmed the plan includes a marked crosswalk across Flour Bluff Drive and across the Purdue Road approaches, complete with countdown pedestrian signals and push buttons.
The city says work around Purdue Road is part of the project's second and third phases, which follow initial utility work. During construction, traffic control will be in place for people walking and driving through the area.
"We're really excited about the road, or at least for myself, I'm excited that the road is expanding and sidewalks could be added," Miller said.
With work in the Purdue Road area expected to start soon, the full Flour Bluff Drive project is set to wrap up in October 2029.
"It would mean a lot for this community to make sure that the kids are safe, getting to school, their sidewalks for families to walk with their kids and ride bikes. So it would mean a lot," Miller said.
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