Rexburg moving forward with crosswalk upgrades

REXBURG -- The city of Rexburg is moving forward with a project to upgrade painted crosswalks after receiving a grant from Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC).

Thermoplastic is a type of material that can be manipulated after being heated to a certain temperature. This upgrade will increase crosswalk visibility and should help decrease accidents.

"(It's) A plastic material that you melt into the pavement. It’s what they call a durable pavement marker, so it stays on the pavement longer and you’re not having to comeback every year and repaint," Rexburg City Engineer, Keith Davidson.

The $57,000 awarded by LHTAC will cover materials and construction for these crosswalks.

"The grant was based on the accident history. What we’re trying to do is mitigate against those accidents that we’ve had in the past,” Davidson said.

Crosswalks around BYU-Idaho have the highest foot traffic in Rexburg, and will be the main focus of the project.

"It will probably help a lot of people who travel on and off campus. There’s quite a few crosswalks so I think it will help safety a lot,” Brigham Young University Idaho student, Amanda Eastmond said.

Rexburg has had several crosswalk related fatalities in the past decade.

The city plans on upgrading crosswalks on second east and second south, starting in 2017.