Work begins this week on the planned pedestrians improvements on Crowell Road in front of California State University, Stanislaus.

Improvements include the installation of pedestrian push activated beacons and concrete road bulb outs at two locations on Crowell Road between Monte Vista Avenue and Christoffersen Parkway.

The bulb outs reduce the width of the road to the minimum distance to reduce the “conflict zone” between the pedestrian and vehicle. Bulb outs are very common at pedestrian crossings in Downtown Turlock.

“We’re basically trying to enhance the safety of pedestrians,” said Director of Development Services and City Engineer Mike Pitcock during the March 10 Council meeting. “It is not only going to be for the students; we also have an assisted living facility across the way that uses the campus for exercise on a pretty frequent basis.”

The improvements are part of a partnership formed between CSU Stanislaus and the City of Turlock in May of 2013, where the University agreed to pay for 60 percent of the improvements.

On March 10, the Turlock City Council awarded the construction bid to FBD Vanguard Construction, of Livermore, was determined to be the lowest responsible bidder at $60,014.11.

In addition to the contractor bid cost, the City purchased equipment for the improvements in February, at a cost of $26,238.30; the total cost of the project, including inspection and engineering, is $108,014.88 — $64,808.93 which will be paid for by CSU Stanislaus.

The City’s portion, $43,205.95, will not come from the general fund, according to the staff report presented in March.

Motorists and the campus community are to be advised, as traffic delays are to be expected during the construction of the improvements.

Construction was planned to begin during CSU Stanislaus’ Spring Break, which began April 6, but according to CSU Stanislaus, construction is expected to continue until May 1.

Alternative routes and entrances to the University are recommended.