CASSELBERRY, Fla. — The city of Casselberry is getting big bucks from the federal government to help make State Road 436 safer for pedestrians.

Data shows that pedestrian crashes are all too common on the busy stretch of road — since 2018, 19 pedestrians have been killed and 28 others were seriously injured.

What You Need To Know

The city of Casselberry is working on plans to make State Road 436 safer for pedestrians
Since 2018, 19 pedestrians have been killed and 28 others were seriously injured
The city received a $17 million federal grant to help fund the project
The city plans to work with the state and county to add signalized pedestrian crossings at four to six spots along SR-436

“I see people running across the road all the time,” said Shane Hill, who owns Pet Bazaar on State Road 436. “Unfortunately, sometimes I see children crossing the road, children on their bikes. And unfortunately, sometimes we see people that get hit by cars out here.”

Casselberry City Manager Randy Newlon says 72,000 vehicles use this stretch of SR-436 every day.

“It’s a highway trying to be a road that services all these different areas,” he said.

Part of the problem, according to Newlon, is people living in apartments on one side of SR-436 crossing the roadway for shopping and businesses on the other side.

“It’s because there just are not enough opportunities for pedestrians to cross the street safely,” he said. “You can go a mile without having an intersection to cross.”

But thanks to a $17 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Newlon is hoping the city can make it safer for pedestrians to cross.

Casselberry, which will use $4 million of its county sales tax to fund the remainder of the project, plans to add new signalized pedestrian crossings, like pedestrian hybrid beacons, at four to six spots along State Road 436 from Oxford Road to the county line.

“It’s a lot about protecting pedestrians who, you know, are maybe making not the best decisions when trying to cross the road, and give them a way to safely cross,” Newlon said.

He said a new shared-use path, better lighting and other measures to reduce drivers’ speeds are also planned.

Hill said he hopes the mid-block crossings help, but worries they may slow down traffic, causing backups on SR-436.

“The idea of crosswalks, I just hope there’s not going to be too many,” said Hill. “But hopefully they strategically place them in just the right place for where the people are trying to get across.”

The city of Casselberry will be working with Seminole County and the Florida Department of Transportation on the project, with the hopes of starting construction within four years.