Road Improvements Near Eagan High School Address Pedestrian Safety Concerns

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Pedestrian safety and traffic flow were the driving forces behind a series of recent street improvements near .

Earlier this summer, the city's road crews installed two yellow pedestrian signs with warning lights to call attention to the Braddock Trail crosswalks at the intersection of Ventnor and Pennsylvania Avenues. The warning lights will blink during hours set by the school district when pedestrian traffic is heaviest, according to a notice released by the school district.

But the crosswalk lights aren't the only projects the city undertook in the area this summer. 

At the intersection of Diffley Road and Braddock Trail, the right lane of southbound Braddock Trail was changed to a right-turn only lane for traffic turning westbound onto Diffley Road. Vehicles in the left lane of southbound Braddock Trail can take a left to travel east on Diffley or continue straight across the intersection.

The improvements cost the city approximately $15,000, according to Eagan City Engineer John Gorder. While the city initiated the projects, Gorder said, city officials also worked closely with School District 196 before proceeding with the project. The pedestrian safety and turn lane improvements were installed in conjunction with a resurfacing project along Braddock Trail, Gorder added.

“There have always been a few traffic issues, but we had gotten some concerns about pedestrian traffic in the area," Gorder said. "Again, now was the time to address with the [resurfacing] improvements going into place."