PAY ATTENTION
AVOID DISTRACTIONS!
Be aware of all signage and reduced speeds. Avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating/drinking, and radio.
Project Description
The Broad River Safety Improvement Project is a collaboration between Right of Way, Community Development, and the Street Lighting Department. It focuses on several streets in the Broad River Neighborhood, located directly south of downtown Fort Wayne. The projects, which include several hundred feet of replaced sidewalks, improved pedestrian crosswalks, and street lighting, will be completed over several phases between 2023 and 2025.
The Packard 2030 Neighborhood Plan outlines the Broad River Neighborhood Projects, which is actively working to improve pedestrian connectivity for residents to area destinations, including Miner Playlot, South Wayne Elementary, Electric Works, and Downtown Fort Wayne. Another important aspect to the Broad River Neighborhood Projects was to implement the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).
What is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)?
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is the practice of reducing crime and the fear of crime by making changes to the built environment and increasing community connections.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the different aspects of this project!
Sidewalks, Drive Approaches, & ADA Ramps
Improved Walkability
Several stretches of sidewalk, alley approaches, drive approaches, and ADA ramps were replaced in Phase I for the Broad River Neighborhood. This included the following streets:
- Scott Avenue (between Broadway and Thompson Ave)
- Maple Avenue (between Broadway and Thompson Ave)
- W Dewald Street (between Oakley St & Fairfield Ave)
- Thompson Avenue (between the Railroad and W Wildwood Ave)
Additionally, new sidewalk was added in some spots where there was not any before. This greatly improved connectivity in the Broad River neighborhood to major thoroughfares such as Broadway and Fairfield Avenue.
CPTED Principle
Having safe, well-maintained walkable paths in a neighborhood is an important CPTED principle. This creates the ability for people to use the public space safely, which increases "eyes on the street" and natural surveillance. It also increases how well-maintained the neighborhood appears, which begets the sense that disorder and crime would be noticed and reported.
Construction Photos
Thompson Ave
Maple Ave
Scott Ave
West Dewald St
Phase II Construction
Sidewalk construction will continue in the Broad River in 2024 & 2025. Exact streets are still being selected. Please give us your thoughts on which sidewalks need the most attention under Phase II Construction Poll on the right.
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BARRICADES
DO NOT MOVE BARRICADES!
The contractor will move them when once pavement passes testing and can withstand vehicle weights.
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WORKER SAFETY
BE PREPARED TO STOP!
Slow down and give workers extra room. Drive cautiously through the jobsite especially If workers are on site
Street Lights
The Packard 2030 Neighborhood Plan outlined the need for additional pedestrian lighting improvements in the Broad River Neighborhood. This decision stemmed from community feedback gathered during the neighborhood planning phase and individual interviews conducted with residents of the area. The objective behind installing LED pedestrian lights was to enhance accessibility and visibility for pedestrians, thereby ensuring their safety while navigating the neighborhood. Additionally, this initiative aimed to contribute to the ongoing efforts to deter crime within crucial neighborhoods.
The Packard Area Lighting Improvement Project will replace existing cobra lighting (called this because they are shaped like a cobra head), and replace them with new pedestrian-level lighting, which is much lower than typical streetlights, and are typically 12 feet off the ground. The following streets in the Broad River neighborhood will see the new streetlights in the Summer of 2024:
- Huestis Ave
- Maple Ave
- Scott Ave
- Thompson Ave
CPTED Principle
Street lighting is believed to reduce crime by increasing Natural Surveillance. By increasing the "eyes on the street," crimes are discouraged because the likelihood of being observed is greater. This is true in both daylight and nighttime hours.
Streetlighting Example
Safety
Broad River Neighborhood saw a decrease in crime from 2016 to 2022, with a brief spike in 2020. As the relationship between crime and the environment has been well established through the field of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), we know that making improvements to the natural and built environment can decrease crime and the perception of crime. With the sidewalk improvements, and upcoming lighting improvements, crime is anticipated to continue to decline.
