Soldiers must use crosswalks

by Paula M. Fitzgerald
Paraglide

	map by Michelle Butzgy/Paraglide Soldiers are required to cross Reilly Street at the Reilly and Butner intersection shown on the map above.

Because too many Soldiers are illegally and unsafely crossing the road near the intersection of Butner Road and Reilly Street throughout the day, the Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works will begin to combat the problem Thursday.

A fence will be installed on Reilly Street across from the Leland J. Holland Barracks Complex. It should take about a week to complete, said DPW’s James Seagroves.

Many Soldiers park in front of the barracks during the workday instead of using a parking lot inside “Mod Village,” which houses 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Soldiers. The unit has built additional parking areas to help ease the problems, but land has become a scarce commodity.

In addition, the old and faded crosswalk at Reilly and Ricketts streets will be eliminated. Soldiers, who continue to park at the barracks, will be required to use the crosswalk at the intersection of Butner Road and Reilly Street. A sidewalk will be built extending from the corner of Reilly Street and will end at Mod Village.

“I know Soldiers. They want to find the fastest way to get somewhere,” explained Joe Hafner, an accident investigator with the Installation Safety Office. “But they aren’t using the designated crosswalks to get across Reilly Street.”

According to Richard Eppert, the garrison safety manager, a high volume of traffic traveling at 40 miles per hour uses Reilly Street throughout the day. Over the past two years, vehicles have struck several Soldiers. None of these strikes caused life-threatening injuries. But neither Hafner nor Eppert wants to wait until someone is killed to take action.

“Sometimes I sit out here watching the Soldiers cross. They will actually jump out in front of traffic and stop cars so they can cross,” Hafner said. “Then they cross the railroad tracks to get to their unit areas.”

Hafner believes the fence will help funnel Soldiers to the Reilly Street and Butner Road crosswalk.
“They won’t be able to use the paths that have been created on the other side of the railroad tracks to get to their units,” Hafner said. “They will have to make the walk down to the designated crosswalk. It’s the law.”

However, Eppert said drivers carry some of the burden to ensure safety.
“When a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, drivers must stop and let them cross,” explained Eppert. “Our job is to protect everyone on this base, and this is the best way we’ve found to do it.”