New crosswalk to improve student safety in Ballston

BALLSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A new crosswalk is being installed at Kingsley Road and Lake Hill Road in Ballston. On Tuesday, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the new sidewalk and providing funding for the project.

Ballston will contribute $14,000, and the county will pay the remaining $31,518. The new crosswalk will connect the only county-owned sidewalk with a town-owned sidewalk, which many Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake students frequent.

Saratoga County Department of Public Works is contracted with DLC Electric LLC of Troy to construct the crosswalk. Ballston Supervisor Eric Connolly said he is thankful for the Board of Supervisors' commitment to pedestrian safety and making the area safer for students.

"The intersection at Kingsley Road and Lake Hill Road is highly trafficked by vehicles and pedestrians each day, especially by our students who walk to and from school," Connolly said. "The new crosswalk and signal will make this area more accessible and safer for our students and residents alike."

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central Schools Superintendent Patrick McGrath Jr. said anyone turning at the intersection of Kingsley Road and Lake Hill Road knows the angle of the turn can be tricky. He added that addressing the need for a crosswalk in that area is a step forward in accessibility for community members.

"This intersection is highly traversed by students walking between schools or to commercial establishments on Route 50," McGrath said. "These safety improvements complete a series of initiatives taken on by both the towns of Ballston and Glenville, assisted by Saratoga County and New York State Department of Transportation over the past several years to provide a safe walk between the middle school and the high school for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake students."