The long-awaited pedestrian hybrid beacon spanning four lanes of Scott Boulevard fronting Westchester Elementary recently opened. Decatur commissioners approved funding for the PHB back in December 2017, and part of the delay related to getting permitting from the Georgia Department of Transportation, according to Assistant City Manager David Junger.
Scott is a state highway linking I-285 with downtown Atlanta, and though it only traverses Decatur for 1.5 miles, any changes or work related to the road require GDOT approval. Further, $79,000 of the approximately $150,000 project was paid by a Multimodal Safety and Access grant from GDOT.
A Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon signal helps pedestrians cross busy streets by pushing a button on the signal post to activate the overhead traffic beacon, alerting on-coming road traffic to slow and stop. At 40 mph Scott has the city’s fastest speed limit.
The Westchester PHB is coordinated with the intersection of Scott and Clairemont Ave that’s .2 mile east. When pressing the Westchester PHB button pedestrians don’t get a crossing signal until the light at Clairemont turns green.
The city currently has two other PHBs, one on Candler Street near East Davis Street, the other on Clairemont near the YMCA.
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