Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn makes crossing Oakwood safer for pedestrians, drivers

Oakwood Boulevard:  New location of enhanced crosswalk

Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn, the city of Dearborn and Wayne County have collaborated to install an innovative, new High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, or HAWK, to make pedestrian crossing safer along Oakwood Boulevard and its four lane roadway for those traveling to and from the hospital.

Following weeks of hard work, construction on the crosswalk has been completed and is ready for hospital staff, patients and visitors to use.

“Safety is paramount for our patients, families and employees,” said David Claeys, president, Beaumont, Dearborn. “The completion of the crosswalk is the first in a long list of improvements we plan for campus enhancements for not only safety, but also infrastructure upgrades as well.”

The HAWK is activated when an individual walks up and pushes the button. This triggers the traffic light to turn yellow. At this time, motorists should begin to slow down. The flashing light will then turn to a solid yellow, altering motorist to stop. Once the light turns red, all vehicles should be at a complete stop, and pedestrians will receive a walk signal. They may then walk safely through the crosswalk, but should still be aware of their surroundings as motorists may not be accustomed to the new system.

“Hopefully, it will also help with drivers of the area too,” said Claeys. “The crosswalk will be a good communication piece between the drivers and the people crossing the street and will help people safely navigate the traffic area.”

Beaumont, Dearborn covered the cost of the system, which totaled nearly $500,000.

“It’s right in front of the hospital. It was a lot of money, but we saw a need, and it was the right thing to do to protect people,” Claeys added.

The new system, called the HAWK, is a specially designed traffic safety system selected by the Michigan Department of Transportation. As people become more familiar with the technology and the signals for walkers and drivers, the result will be safer roads and accident prevention.