Asphalt Art to Improve Safety on Dayton Street

The intersections of W Dayton Street/N Bedford Street, W Dayton Street/Marion Street, and W Dayton Street/N Frances Street are about to receive an artistic makeover as part of a City of Madison project to assess the ability of asphalt art to improve safety for all road users. From September 15th-19th, staff and volunteers will use colorful roadway paint to add curb extensions and median islands to these intersections, with flexible delineator posts added around the exterior of the painted area to further define the space.

• The asphalt art is designed by Madison-based artist and educator Bernie Witzack and her studio Bernie & Zuzu.
• Experienced asphalt art experts, Chalk Riot, have consulted on this project and will be present to lead the art installation later this month.
• This project is funded by an award from the federal discretionary grant program, Safe Streets and Roads for All.

Traffic Impacts

Residents and travelers along and near this section of the Dayton Street corridor should be aware of traffic impacts during project installation. Starting Monday, September 15th, City of Madison Traffic Engineering will close the intersections of W Dayton Street/N Bedford Street and W Dayton Street/Marion Street between the hours of 7:00am and 4:00pm. The street will reopen to normal conditions at 4pm, Friday, September 19th.

Preparatory work, including striping and power-washing, will take place along the corridor in the days leading up to the project; however, the impact on traffic should be limited.

Safety Improvements

The Dayton Street asphalt art improvements are expected to increase safety by visually narrowing the travel lane, which encourages drivers to slow down. Also, curb extensions extend the pedestrian space and create a shorter crossing distance. Asphalt art does not remove or change any portion of the vehicle travel lane; rather, the art defines the limits of the travel lane, making all road users' movements more predictable.

Other localities around the country have experimented with asphalt art. A landmark study found that asphalt art locations had a 50% reduction in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists and drivers were 27% more likely to yield to pedestrians as compared to before installation. Asphalt art creates improved safety for drivers, too. Asphalt art locations had a 17% decrease in all crashes and a 37% decrease in injuries from all crashes.

City of Madison has collected current speed and crash data for this corridor to be compared to data following the application of the asphalt art. This comparison data will be used to identify if this is a road treatment that would be beneficial in Madison for future locations.