Austin Completes Safety Improvements at South First Street and Radam Lane, a High-Crash Intersection
The finished project shortens pedestrian crossings, slows turning vehicles and rebuilds the corners with ADA ramps and high-visibility crosswalks — the kind of major-intersection work the city's Vision Zero analysis associates with a 38 percent drop in serious-injury and fatal crashes.
The City of Austin has completed safety and mobility improvements at the intersection of South First Street and Radam Lane, a location previously identified as a high-crash area, the city's Transportation and Public Works Department announced in its October 26 Mobility News edition. The project was guided, the city says, by data-driven planning aimed at reducing crash risks and improving accessibility for people walking, biking, taking transit and driving.
The rebuilt intersection's features are pedestrian-first. Enhanced sidewalk corners reduce the distance people cross and lower vehicle turning speeds; the crosswalks are now high-visibility; new ADA-accessible curb ramps were installed; the traffic signal infrastructure and timing were upgraded; and the sidewalks between Clifford Drive and Normandy Street were widened.
The work reached beyond the corners. Two CapMetro bus stops were relocated to give riders better access to safe crossing points and more convenient transfers between routes, and several driveways serving nearby businesses were modified to reduce conflicts with people traveling along the corridor — sightlines improved, driveways shortened or relocated, and redundant access points removed in some cases, according to the city.
The project was funded by the 2020 Mobility Bonds. The same city edition cites its Vision Zero analysis showing that similar major intersection safety projects in Austin are associated with a 38 percent reduction in serious injury and fatal crashes — the benchmark the South First and Radam Lane rebuild will now be measured against.
