Crosswalk lights are delayed

by Alecia Warren

Kids walking home from school this fall will have to hope drivers can see the crosswalk paint from a distance, because Pinedale isn’t getting pedestrian crosswalk lights as soon as expected.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced last week that there will be a delay on the two crosswalk lights it promised to install in Pinedale by this fall, as no contractors have yet submitted bids on the project.

WYDOT will advertise the job again this summer, and will extend the completion date to July 2009, instead of the original deadline of October 2008.

“My speculation is that the specialty contractors who do this kind of work are just busy,” said Bob Maxam, Pinedale’s resident WYDOT engineer. “In the construction industry we have a ‘letting’ season we like to refer to, and I just believe they picked up a lot of other work prior to this season and couldn’t fit it into their schedules.”

One crosswalk light will be located at the intersection of Pine and Lake streets, and the second at the intersection of Pine Street and Tyler Avenue.

Both areas are notorious for congested traffic, particularly in the summertime when gas field activity increases and tourists speed through town toward Jackson and Yellowstone.

WYDOT decided to construct crosswalk lights because local studies have yet to deem traffic lights a necessity, Maxam said.

He acknowledged that the flow of pickups and semis continues to be heavy on Pine Street, and he guessed that Pinedale is “close” to getting a traffic light. He declined to estimate exactly how close.

The distant deadline for the project’s completion is primarily aimed at attracting more bids, Maxam said, as contractors will appreciate having more time to finish. The deadline also accommodates the short supply of steel poles essential for supporting pedestrian lights.

“As far as ordering and getting them, it sometimes takes four to six months,” Maxam said. “It’s just what’s going on in the construction industry today.”

He doesn’t think Pinedale pedestrians are necessarily in danger as they wait for the lights, he added.

“I think it’s just business as usual,” he said. “Look both ways before you cross the street.”