The city of St. Joseph is working with Whirlpool to provide a safer way for employees to cross Upton Drive from a parking lot to their workplace each day. At a Monday meeting, city commissioners moved forward an agreement that will have Whirlpool pay for changes to the crosswalk just north of the CSX railroad tracks. City Manager John Hodgson tells WSJM News some of the workers had safety concerns about the current crosswalk.
“The railroad tracks are higher than the road, and so northbound traffic, in particular, on Upton Drive kind of goes up and over a hill and doesn’t have very good sight distance to pedestrians who are crossing from the Upton Tech Center across the street to the parking lot on the other side,” Hodgson said.
Hodgson says the employees proposed a sign with flashing lights. Under the agreement, the crosswalk will be moved farther north from the tracks, the flashing lights will be installed, and there will be a pedestrian island placed in the road where people can stand. Whirlpool will pay for the work, and then transfer the crosswalk to the city.
