Dale Drive Sidewalk Completed

The Division of Transportation Engineering has recently completed construction of 1900 feet of new sidewalk along the north side of Dale Drive, from Mansfield Road to Hartford Avenue in Silver Spring. This project was part of the Transportation Improvements for New Schools program, which funds improvements to serve County public schools. The program has previously constructed sections of other sidewalk along Dale Drive from Wayne Avenue to Piney Branch Road. This latest sidewalk provides connectivity to the Sligo Creek Elementary School, the Silver Spring International Middle School, as well as to downtown Silver Spring, Sligo Creek Park, and bus stops.

The project involved construction of significant retaining walls more than 300 feet long and ranging in height from three to 11 feet. Also part of the project was a storm drainage system and gas, sewer, and water utility relocations.

The contractor was Banneker Ventures LLC. Significant construction work was undertaken by subcontractorM. Luis Construction Company, a local woman-owned business recently honored by the President when he visited their asphalt manufacturing plant in Rockville.

For more information, contact Shirley Reeves-Collette, Project Manager, at 240.773.3412 or by email. For budget details on the project, see the Office of Management and Budget website. For information on transportation construction projects, visit the Division of Transportation Engineering's website.

Texting and Walking Results in More Injuries Per Mile Than Texting and Driving

A new study found that texting while walking causes more injuries per mile than texting while driving. Many studies have focused on the dangerous consequences of texting while driving. However, researchers found that texting and walking can be far more dangerous as they cause more injuries per mile. The consequences of texting include bumping into walls, falling down stairs, tripping over clutter or stepping into traffic, according to a press statement. Researchers pointed out that even though injuries from texting and driving are more severe, physical harm resulting from texting and walking occurs more frequently. People who text and walk face three types of distractions. The first one is manual where they're doing something else, the second one is visual where they're seeing something else and the third one is cognitive where their mind is somewhere else.

To see the full article, click here.

(Source for national data: Headline and Global News, March 4, 2014, as reported in the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety eNewsletter, March 14, 2014.)

Nationally, Pedestrian Deaths Drop After Three-Year Rise

After three straight years of increases that baffled experts, the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. appears to be dropping. Compared with the first six months of 2012, pedestrian deaths fell 8.7 percent during the first six months of 2013, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) says, citing preliminary data reported to the federal government by the states and the District of Columbia. There were 1,985 pedestrians killed in crashes in the first half of last year, down from 2,175 in January through June of 2012. Pedestrian fatality data for all of 2013 is expected later this year. Pedestrian safety experts, who were puzzled by the 15 percent, three-year jump in deaths—given it came while all other categories of road fatalities were dropping three percent—are just as stumped by the recent decline.

Click here to see the GHSA's full report.

In Montgomery County, pedestrian deaths have totalled 11 in 2011, 6 in 2012, and 13 in 2013. The four year average (2010-2013) stands at 10.8, which is significantly below the three year average prior to the County Executive's Pedestrian Safety Initiative of 16.7 fatalities (2007-2009).

(Source for national data: USA Today, March 5, 2014, as reported in the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety eNewsletter, March 14, 2014. Local data from MCPD.)