Papillion adding new 'HAWK' signal to help with pedestrian safety

PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) — The City of Papillion announced Tuesday that work has begun to install new technology to help with pedestrian safety.

A new HAWK (High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK) signal is to be installed at a popular intersection in downtown Papillion.

This system will include poles and mast arms above the intersection to allow for protected crossings.

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"Work is underway to install a new HAWK (High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK) signal at the intersection of 2nd and Washington (84th) Streets in downtown Papillion.

The new HAWK signal will include poles and mast arms above the intersection and allow for protected pedestrian crossings while stopping vehicular traffic only as needed on 84th Street — a main arterial road that sees 30,000 to 40,000 cars each day.

The HAWK signal will remain unlit, allowing traffic to pass freely through the intersection until a pedestrian pushes a button to activate the light. Once activated, the signal flashes yellow to alert traffic, then turns solid yellow, and then solid red forcing vehicles to stop and allow pedestrians to cross the road.

Throughout this sequence, pedestrians will see the familiar “walk” and “don’t walk” signals.

As the pedestrian phase starts to end, the HAWK signal then changes to flashing red to allow vehicles to pass through the intersection when clear. The signal will then return to its inactive, unlit phase.

The intersection will be equipped with pedestrian detection sensors to adjust the crossing sequence timing depending on pedestrian crossing speed.

The HAWK signal will also connect to the 84th Street Adaptive Signal Control Technology System (ASCT), which enhances traffic flow from Lincoln Street in Papillion to Center Street in Omaha.

Work to construct the signal is expected to begin today and finish sometime in August."

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