City plans future sidewalks improvement project

Map where some of the sidewalk improvements will be done. [Image supplied.]

The City of Ocala provided the “Gazette” with some information on March 31 explaining the scope of its new sidewalks improvement project.

The project generally includes construction of approximately 2.3 miles of needed sidewalk improvements to close sidewalk gaps and upgrade existing sidewalks to meet the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards, according to Ashley Dobbs, marketing and communications manager at the Office of Strategic Engagement.

The following locations, per the city, are where the project will be focusing its attentions:

• W. 7^th Street from N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to N.W. 6^th Terrace (both sides);
• E. 21^st Street from N.E. 36^th Avenue to N.E. 38^th Terrace (north side);
• W. 3^rd Avenue from S.W. 2^nd Street to S.W. 3^rd Street (east side);
• W. 3^rd Street from S.W. 2^ndAvenue to S.W. 1^st Avenue (north side);
• W. 1^st Avenue from S.W. 2^nd Street to S.W. 3^rd Street (west side);
• W. 1^st Avenue from S.W. 3^rd Street to S.W. 5^th Street (east side);
• W. 5^th Street from S.W. 2^nd Avenue to S.W. 1^st Avenue (north side);
• E. 24^th Street from S.E. 36^th Avenue to S.E. 32^nd Avenue (both sides); and
• W. 32^nd Avenue from State Road (SR) 200 to S.W. 34^th Avenue (south side).

Additionally, approximately 0.21 miles of S.W. 32^nd Avenue from SR 200 to S.W. 34^th Avenue will be resurfaced, according to Dobbs. The project will be constructed through a joint agreement between the City of Ocala and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

The city will fund $38,092 of the project, while FDOT will fund the remaining $1,246,666, for a total construction cost of $1,284,758.

Pedestrian Fatalities

According to statistics provided by the Ocala Police Department (OPD), pedestrian fatalities involving moving vehicles in the city are quite common.

“The majority of pedestrian crashes are caused by pedestrians crossing improperly,” said Jeff Walczak, public information officer for the OPD, on April 1. “Many of them are drug and/or alcohol-related—the pedestrians, not the drivers—and the majority of the night time crashes are caused by pedestrians not wearing any bright or reflective clothing.”

Last year, moving vehicles struck six pedestrians; four of those accidents were fatal, according to OPD statistics. In 2020, 11 pedestrians were harmed, 10 of which died from their injuries (one death involved a pedestrian on the sidewalk).

Six pedestrians were struck by moving vehicles in 2019—all six accidents were fatal.