City of Raleigh steps in to finish crosswalks after pedestrian killed

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The City of Raleigh decided to take action and finished a North Carolina Department of Transportation crosswalk project after a man was killed.

The city installed striping for new crosswalks at the intersections of South Saunders Street and Pecan Road and Pecan and Ileagnes roads.

A pedestrian, Jose Hernandez, was killed in that area last Friday while crossing the street.

NCDOT said prior to that, there has been no reported pedestrian or bicycle crashes at that specific area during a three-year time period. There were, however, two pedestrian crashes just north of the area.

State officials were planning to improve walking conditions for people at the intersection, but they never finished the project.

NCDOT approved the project in March 2016 and construction started in 2018. Signals were put in, but the stripping wasn't laid down.

"There was a concert of different variables," NCDOT spokesperson Sean Williams said of the hold-up.

Weather mixed with a search for a contractor were reason why NCDOT said the work was not completed.

NCDOT says it will be reimbursing Raleigh for costs incurred for the stripping.