A safety upgrade at the Alma-Churchill intersection, a primary access point for many Palo Alto High School students, is expected to continue until the upcoming fall school term.

The City of Palo Alto, who started on the project five months ago, is planning to install a pre-signal, add street light upgrades, widen the sidewalk and update signage and striping. Currently, crews are surveying the intersection to identify and resolve any conflicts with the sewer system below. 

According to Ruchika Aggarwal, project engineer for the city, the objective of this project is to improve safety and traffic flow.

 “It was identified that some immediate improvements needed to be done at this intersection for the safety of pedestrians and bikers and vehicles,” Aggarwal said. “It’s a joint project aimed at improving the safety of bikers, pedestrians, and cars traveling along that corridor.”

A student who navigates the intersection daily, however, says that he does not see safety as a concern at the intersection.

“Just like any other crosswalk, sometimes depending on if a train comes I’ll have to wait longer, I think it’s pretty safe,” said Parker Castro, a sophomore. “I wait at the light and go when the crosswalk turns green so I don’t really see any issues with it.”