Michaela Handke/ Winonan
On Sept. 8, a semi truck carrying a tall construction vehicle collided with the Saint Mary’s University pedestrian bridge on Highway 14, which connected campus to the Old Village. Due to safety concerns, the bridge was taken down one day later.
On Sept. 10, The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) released several tips to the public as to how to stay safe while using the crosswalks as well as how to remain visible to drivers when using the designated crosswalk.
One of the tips included in the safety notice stated that pedestrians should “make eye contact with drivers and ensure they see you and will stop, clearly show your intentions to cross, look across all lanes for moving vehicles before proceeding.”
MnDOT does have intensions to replace the bridge as soon as possible. Despite this claim, there has been no date released as to when construction for a new bridge will begin.
As of now, a crosswalk is setup to help get students from one side of the highway to the other safely.
Chloe Stauffer, a sophomore at Saint Mary’s, said, “There is a housing unit on one side of the highway, so students have to walk across the highway, back and forth everyday. It seems like an accident waiting to happen.”
Stauffer said she hopes for a new bridge.
“I just hope we get one soon. The set up now is too dangerous,” she said.
Courtney Lynch, a sophomore at Saint Mary’s, felt the biggest concern with the new arrangement has to do with student safety.
“Cars aren’t used to seeing a crosswalk there, so now we have temporary signs to warn cars about the crosswalk ahead,” Lynch said. “But the main concern is how safe will it be when those temporary cones and signs go away.”
It is not only the students being affected by the lack of the pedestrian bridge.
Commuters using Highway 14 to get to and from their destinations on a daily basis, such as Samantha Bambenek, a student at Minnesota State College Southeast Technical, who lives just several miles out of Winona on Highway 14, now have to take into consideration pedestrians crossing a busy road.
“I think it sucks especially when you’re coming from Winona. I can’t see if there’s someone walking,” Bambenek, said. “Even though the orange cones are there to warn people, everyone is still speeding. That’s what prevents us from seeing the students walking.”
But it is not just the drivers’ duty to ensure the safety of the crossing pedestrians.
“The other day I was driving down Stockton hill and a girl proceeded to walk into the crosswalk without looking in either direction,” Bambenek said. “All the drivers around her had to slam on their brakes to prevent her from getting hit. I think that something needs to be done about getting a pedestrian bridge up as soon as possible before something bad happens.”
Students are hoping that the arrival of a new bridge comes quickly before safety concerns get out of hand.
