FLOYD, Va. – Dirk Davis drives through the intersection at routes 8 and 221 in Floyd several times a day.
“I also walk to several places,” Davis, a local resident, said.
The longtime resident knows firsthand the dangers of the roadways.
“I almost got hit by vehicles more than once,” Davis said.
Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Jason Bond said about 8,300 cars use this section of Route 221 each day.
“The town has had concerns for pedestrian safety for many years and considering all the festivals they have as well as local businesses around that intersection,” Bond said.
In order to improve pedestrian safety, some of the changes will include adding two new crosswalks on Route 221 with pedestrian signals, upgrading the two existing crosswalks on Route 8 and installing two sets of flashing beacons at the mid-block crosswalks to alert drivers to pedestrians.
Davis is pleased with the project.
“The action that VDOT is taking is a very good thing. The county and the town need it,” Davis said.
The project is expected to begin construction in 2019.