Push the Button

HAWK crosswalk can save lives, but you have to push the button

By VIVIAN LaMOORE STAFF WRITER

Did you know that on average, on any given day, over 11,000 motor vehicles travel through the State Highway 169 corridor in front of Grand Casino Mille Lacs? That number can double throughout the summer months, especially during busy holiday weekends. Many of those 11,000 vehicles are driven by people who may or may not be paying attention, they may be in a hurry to get where they are going, and sadly, many drivers are still texting while driving (despite the fact that texting while driving a motor vehicle has been outlawed since 2008 in Minnesota, and talking on a cellphone has been prohibited since 2019 unless it is in hands-free mode, which literally means the driver may not be touching the phone). That is over 11,000 reasons why pedestrians trying to cross from one side to the other should push the button and use the HAWK crosswalk.

HAWK stands for High-Intensity Activated cross Walk. Known in the traffic industry as a “hybrid pedestrian crossing” the unusual triangular design of the “hybrid beacon face” (two red LEDs on top; one amber LED below) remains dark until activated by a pedestrian. When initiated by a push button, the HAWK starts a specific flashing beacon sequence that controls traffic by requiring motorists to STOP.

According to the University of Minnesota, a research team monitored 10 crossings on four reservations in Minnesota’s northeast quadrant between May and August 2017; site monitoring ranged from 11 to 20 days. The Mille Lacs site had the most pedestrian crossings with a mean daily volume of 136. More than half of those crossings — 54 percent — involved some interaction with vehicles, meaning that either the pedestrians or drivers sped up, slowed, or stopped and waited.

That data was hard to ignore. The Mille Lacs Public works roads department knew something had to be done and researched the options. While many community members have suggested a walking bridge over the highway, that option was not feasible. There simply is not enough space to build a wheelchair/bicycle accessible ramp way. The HAWK crosswalk has been proven to be one of the safest options available for this specific highway.

The total cost of this project was $362,000. Of that, $290,000 was funded through a federal highway program grant that was secured through the Band’s Grants Department. That left roughly $73,000 that was funded by MnDOT through a cooperative agreement with the Band.

That means this project was completed with ZERO dollars of Mille Lacs Band funding.

Band member safety is the number one concern of the elected and appointed officials. This HAWK crosswalk has the potential to save the life of every person who attempts to cross Highway 169 — but only if you push the button to activate the signal. It only takes a few more seconds to stop, push the button ,and wait for the signal to change. Those few seconds of waiting could save your life. Public Works crews recently installed new signs at the crosswalk reminding people to push the button.

Be safe. Save a life. Push the button.