New Crossing Beacon Installed on Route 114

A pedestrian hybrid beacon has been installed on Route 114 in North Andover, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Monday.

What does that mean? According to MassDOT, "a pedestrian hybrid beacon is designed to warn and control traffic at an unsignalized location to assist pedestrians in crossing a roadway where there is a marked crosswalk."

The beacon was installed by Merrimack College between Andover Street and the Andover Bypass Road. Merrimack has a permit to facilitate pedestrian traffic between the campus and the residential area on the other side of Route 114.

Use of the signal decreases crashes by 29 percent and pedestrian crashes by 69 percent, according to the Federal Highway Administration's 2010 study.

As part of a partnership between MassDOT, Merrimack, and North Andover, sidewalk and pavement surface improvements near the beacon are in the works.

Photo courtesy of MassDOT