Crossing The Street Just Got More Interesting In Manhattan Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —If you're crossing the street at the intersections of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue or Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Highland Avenue, you will notice some new street art.

The eye-catching diagonal crosswalks were installed as part of the Downtown Beautification measures approved by the Manhattan Beach City Council on January 21, 2020.

"The Artwork was approved by the city council last December," Manhattan Beach Senior Civil Engineer Tim Birthisel, P. E. told Patch. "The Arts in Public Places committee recommended installing the specific artwork and logo in November 2020."

According to Birthisel, the work was dovetailed into the previously approved downtown traffic signal upgrade project and is being completed before the summer season to minimize construction work inconvenience to area businesses and pedestrians.

"The artwork is intended to enhance the pedestrian mobility across the intersections and meet the required pedestrian marking standards for scrambled crosswalks while incorporating the new city logo as the centerpiece," Birthisel said.

The "scrambled" crosswalk was designed by a professional civil engineer, and the project was managed by the engineering division of the Public Works Department.