LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Orinda authorizes grant application for crosswalk at Moraga Way and Brookside


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The Orinda City Council took staff's recommendation at the Jan. 16 meeting to authorize a grant application for a non-signaled crosswalk at Moraga Way and Brookside Drive, although the Transportation Safety Advisory Committee recommended a different project. The application is for a Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant program intended to increase the safety and efficiency of bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Residents of Wilder have requested the proposed crosswalk; Wilder is accessible by foot from Brookside Drive, which runs alongside McDonnell Nursery. Moreover, there is a County Connection bus stop on either side of Moraga Way at the Brookside intersection.

TSAC had recommended improvements to an existing crosswalk near Wagner Ranch, but the council agreed with staff that a new project would be more likely to win the grant than merely improving an existing project. The MTC grants vary, but generally most of the grants range between $25,000 and $150,000. The Brookside crosswalk is estimated to cost $64,000. Council members expressed some concern about the location of the crosswalk in proximity to a curve on Moraga Way, and suggested evaluating the possibility of moving it slightly to provide more safety.