Windsor crosswalk upgrade to wrap up before school year

Upgrades are in the works for a Windsor crosswalk and construction is on tap to wrap up by the next school year, the town has announced.

Work is happening at Starr Road and Stellar Lane, directly outside Cali Calmecac Language Academy and less than a mile north of Windsor High School.

It’s scheduled to wrap up by the beginning of this school year, according to the city.

Improvements will includes pedestrian-activated flashing beacons, a solar-powered streetlight, updated ramps and new pedestrian yield markings and striping.

It’s Windsor’s first solar-powered streetlight, according to a news release issued last week by town officials.

Efforts to upgrade the crosswalk began in 2020 when Cali Calmecac staff and parents requested improvements.

Traffic has increased outside the school over the years as its popularity and reputation grew, according to a Windsor staff report from April 2021. It added the existing crosswalk did not have a crossing guard during congested hours of the day.

Windsor’s Public Works Department applied for and received a Transportation Development Act grant for the $98,000 project last year.

Funding was allocated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and is specifically for pedestrian and bicycle projects across the Bay Area, according to the staff report.

According to the staff report, upgrades will “increase pedestrian visibility, especially during congested school drop-off and pick-up hours.”

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi