With recent council approval, construction work related to the pedestrian crosswalk on Saguaro Blvd. at Tower Drive is slated to begin next week on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The work should be completed by the end of October.

During the construction motorists traveling Saguaro Blvd. can anticipate occasional traffic restrictions or detours.

This Desert Vista Park crosswalk and sidewalk on Saguaro project was approved in the FY 2020-21 Capital Improvement Projects budget and was identified as a high priority by the Town Council.

Desert Vista Park currently has limited access for pedestrians, as it is located in a commercial area. There are no crosswalks on Saguaro between Shea Blvd. and El Lago Blvd. to allow residents to cross safely and access the park (roughly two miles). Consequently, there are very few homes in the area that can access the park without a vehicle.

Constructing a pedestrian crossing on Saguaro Blvd. at Tower Drive will provide for a safe pedestrian and bicycle access to Desert Vista Park from the surrounding neighborhoods.

When this project is complete, there will be a new sidewalk and curb opening ramps along the south side of Saguaro between Quinto and Bond drives. Additionally, to accommodate ADA mandates and provide a safe crossing for pedestrians, median curbing is to be removed on Saguaro Blvd. and the frontage/service road.

For pedestrian safety, the crosswalk will be a solar-powered pedestrian crossing flashing beacon system installed to warn oncoming traffic that someone is in the crosswalk. There will be a safety zone in the median to allow pedestrians to wait on oncoming traffic.