Pedestrian Safety Improvements Planned Along New York’s Route 5

State transportation officials say they’re making safety improvements to a 15-mile stretch of a heavily traveled Albany, N.Y., road where several pedestrians have been killed in recent years.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald announced Monday that the improvements, education efforts and enforcement actions are aimed at safeguarding pedestrians along the Central Avenue-State Street corridor between the Albany and Schenectady city limits.

Also known as Route 5, that stretch of road has been the scene of at least six fatal accidents involving pedestrians.

Last September, the DOT launched a study of the Route 5 corridor to improve pedestrian safety.

Planned improvements include the installation of elevator-style push buttons for pedestrian signals at 75 intersections and increasing the “walk” phase at 33 intersections to give pedestrians more time to cross the road.