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Town awarded RRFB grant to install flashing pedestrian beacon at Route 9 crossing
Summary
Town manager announced the town received a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) grant to install a solar-powered flashing pedestrian beacon at the Route 9 crossing near Dunkin' Donuts and the Veterans Memorial to improve access to the post office; installation requires training, concrete receiving pads, paired Bluetooth components and a parking/exterior lighting plan.
The Town of North Berwick was awarded a federal/state RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) grant to add a solar-powered flashing pedestrian beacon at the Route 9 crossing near Dunkin' Donuts and the Veterans Memorial, town manager Duane Moore announced April 7.
Moore said residents had raised concerns about crossing Route 9 safely, especially following repaving that left no receiving area directly opposite the post office. "I was approached by a few residents in town, concerning the inability to cross Route 9 effectively," he said, and then reported, "a week ago I got notification that we got the grant."
The installation will require crew training (planned for late April), excavation and concrete receiving pads on both sides of the roadway, provisioning of paired Bluetooth‑enabled beacon components that are solar powered, and a parking and exterior lighting plan for the event area. Moore said the vendor supplies the equipment; the town must install the pads and place the poles. He noted the system is paired via Bluetooth and is battery‑backed in the pole unit.
Timeline and next steps: staff will schedule training, coordinate pickup of equipment, prepare receiving pads and complete required site plans before installation. The board expressed support for the project as a pedestrian-safety improvement.
Why it matters: The beacon will give walkers and people using mobility aids a way to stop traffic at the crossing and should improve access to the post office and other sidewalks connected to the crossing.
