The November death of a Dakota Hills Middle School student has sparked conversations on how to change a stretch of road in Eagan safer. Patrick Vitek, 13, was struck by a car and killed while riding his bike to school on November 1. Vitek was on Diffley Road at the time of the collision.
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The City of Eagan held the second Diffley Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety open house on Monday night. The open house allowed the public to share ideas on what changes should be made.
"It's one thing to look at a road on a spreadsheet or a map and do plotting on a technical fashion," said Dakota County Director of Communications, Mary Beth Schubert. "It's also very valuable to learn from residents and users how indeed the road is being used. Are there nuances that we need to be aware of?"
Possible short term solutions include better lighting and lane reductions. Longer term, more permanent solutions are also under consideration.
"Lighting, or lane reductions," Schubert said. "School access and route motifications, roundabouts, traffic signals, and pedestrian under and overpasses are all possible, but are things that could take longer to impliment."
The primary focus for improvements is Diffley Road between Lexington Avenue and Braddock Trail, the Northview Elementary School, Dakota Hills Middle School and Eagan High School sites, and connections to nearby neighborhoods.
Another meeting is planned for February to share short and long-term safety recommendations, based on feedback at this month’s open houses, and an implementation plan.
