Efforts are underway in Prince William County, Virginia, to improve safety at an intersection near two schools where two pedestrians were killed in separate crashes this year.
In a letter to the community, Prince William County Board Supervisor Pete Candland said “all options are on the table,” when it comes to the intersection at Route 15 and Graduation Drive in Haymarket for short-term and long-term safety improvements.
The intersection is near Battlefield High School and Reagan Middle School.
Candland said he is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to have the area designated a “School Zone,” and that VDOT officials are optimistic about getting that implemented. That change would reduce speed through the intersection to as low as 35 mph during school hours.
But in the short-term, Candland said VDOT would upgrade all four of the crosswalks to high visibility crosswalks, which are marked with a Zebra pattern with slanted stripes designed to alert drivers better than two solid white lines.
A drone is being employed at the site to help gather data on pedestrian and traffic patterns.
Candland said there is community demand for a pedestrian bridge over Route 15, which would provide better protection for pedestrians.
“A facility such as a pedestrian bridge, while costly, will be the best long-term solution to create safe passage from one side of a regional road to the other,” Candland said.
“Since first taking office, I have repeatedly requested that needed infrastructure improvement from VDOT, but now with momentum from the community, the possibility of it coming to fruition is growing stronger.”
