Pedestrians crossing Boulevard Way in unincorporated Walnut Creek will get new flashing safety beacons after the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors approved $30,000 for the project.

The board voted Tuesday, Oct. 6, to allocate the money from the District II portion of the Livable Communities Trust. The allocation will pay for rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, or RRFBs, at the crosswalk near 1218 Boulevard Way between Rule Court and Flora Avenue, according to county meeting records.

District II Supervisor Candace Andersen recommended the project. The meeting record lists the allocation as an approved consent item.

The $30,000 comes entirely from Livable Communities Trust funds, with no general-fund dollars involved, according to county records. Contra Costa County Public Works will handle the installation.

RRFBs are bright yellow LED lights mounted at crosswalks that flash in an alternating pattern when activated by a pedestrian button or detection system, alerting drivers to yield to pedestrians. The Federal Highway Administration classifies the devices as a "Proven Safety Countermeasure." FHWA research shows RRFBs can reduce pedestrian crashes by up to 47% and push motorist yielding rates as high as 98% at marked crosswalks. Yielding rates vary with factors including speed limits, the number of lanes and crossing distance. The beacons are codified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD, updated in 2023.

County records identify the crossing as being in unincorporated Walnut Creek and allocate the money to the county Public Works Department.

Andersen has recommended other Livable Communities Trust allocations for District II projects. In June 2026, the board approved a separate $50,000 from the same fund for an ADA accessibility project through the Siesta Valley Foundation, also at Andersen's recommendation, county records show.

The supplied Oct. 6 meeting record does not list an installation timeline or construction start date for the Boulevard Way beacons.