Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long and the Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) say many pedestrian safety updates along the streets near the University of Cincinnati's campus have been completed before the start of the academic year on Monday.
In April, the city announced it had been awarded two safety grants from the Ohio Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Improvement Program to fund pedestrian infrastructure improvements that can be quickly installed.
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Along Clifton Ave., Jefferson Ave., and Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., zebra-style crosswalks were added to make the pedestrian pathways visible to drivers, and curbs were extended to shorten the length of the crosswalks.
Speed cushions were also installed to slow down cars driving down Jefferson Ave. and rubber pillars — known as centerline hardenings — were added near center lanes to force drivers to slow down when making left turns.
The changes come nearly two years after a driver ran a red light and struck two UC students using a crosswalk on Jefferson Ave., killing one of them.
The incident prompted residents, students, and pedestrian safety advocates to hold a rally and march in 2023 to call for safety improvements near campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
More pedestrian infrastructure changes are on the way. DOTE is coordinating with an on-campus construction project at the corner of Clifton Ave. and Calhoun St. to extend the curbs at the intersection this October.
The first day of classes at UC is Aug. 26.
