The Pierce County Planning and Public Works Department’s plan to install a raised crosswalk in Key Center, aimed at reducing speed through the area, was delayed until at least the springtime, Pierce County Council Member Robyn Denson (D-7th) told the Key Peninsula Council in October.
The department determined it will need to hire an outside contractor to construct the raised crosswalk, properly called a “speed table,” which will rise about 6 inches and extend across the road between Sound Credit Union and the Key Center Fire Station (See “New Raised Crosswalk May Knock Speedsters Down a Peg,” June 2024).
“The delay is disappointing,” Denson said. “However, this project is still moving pretty quickly.”
The raised crosswalk will replace the existing one and is expected to help slow traffic through Key Center while improving visibility for drivers and pedestrians. For the raised crosswalk to function properly, it must be flush with the height of the sidewalks on both ends. However, the lack of curbed sidewalks in that area adds additional work to the project. Denson allotted $125,000 for it in the last county budget.
The county already added raised pavement markers in both directions of the KP Highway near Key Center in June and recently reduced speeds through the area from 35 miles per hour down to 30 to help curb speeding.
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