The final phase of road work in Boulder on Sept. 19 and 20 left a colorful surprise: The crosswalks on Main Street have been painted a bright red. The answer to why the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) chose to paint the crosswalks this way involves a little bit of old and new.
Traditionally, crosswalks across the United States have been marked with white, or sometimes yellow, lines to maintain uniformity and comply with federal standards outlined in the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
But some states and localities, including cities in Montana, have adopted variations in design and color to address specific concerns, such as poor visibility in low-light conditions or the need to alert drivers to specific pedestrian crossings.
