Phoenix activates 100th HAWK pedestrian crossing; Mayor Gallego says city doubled installations in five years

Mayor Kate Gallego and city staff on the podium celebrated the activation of Phoenix’s 100th HAWK (High‑intensity Activated Crosswalk), a pedestrian‑activated traffic signal designed to improve safety at mid‑block crossings where distances between conventional signals are large.

“HAWKs are very important because they allow people to cross safely when we have big distances between signalized intersections,” Mayor Kate Gallego said at the activation event, noting the device’s use on the McDowell Mile and Miracle Mile and the city’s effort to connect destinations such as hospitals and parks. “If the math is correct, we have doubled the number of pedestrian activated crossings in Phoenix in just 5 short years,” she added.

City staff and council members framed the installation as part of a larger roadway-safety strategy. Officials noted that the HAWK device type was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 2009, and that Phoenix’s Office of Pedestrian Safety and the Roadway Safety Action Plan — together with a city council resolution embedding the Vision Zero strategy — guide deployment decisions. The mayor thanked the streets department for the installation work and credited local champions on the council for supporting pedestrian safety measures.

Why this matters: HAWK crossings are a low‑cost engineering intervention to improve pedestrian safety where full signalized intersections are not feasible. Expanding them is part of Phoenix’s broader efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and improve walkability in growth corridors.

Details and context

- Purpose and placement: Event remarks highlighted the Millennium/Miracle Mile stretch on McDowell as a location with new housing, public destinations and increased pedestrian activity where a HAWK will connect both sides of the corridor.

- Local origin claim: Organizers noted the HAWK’s Arizona origins and credited a former Tucson traffic engineer (name referenced at the event) with developing the device concept.

- Policy alignment: The activation was presented as consistent with the city’s Roadway Safety Action Plan and a council-backed Vision Zero approach to reduce serious crashes.

Ending

City leaders described the 100th HAWK as part of an intentional safety program and signaled continued installations in targeted corridors. The mayor and council members urged residents to use the crossings and support further investments in pedestrian infrastructure.