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During its Wednesday meeting, Suffolk City Council approved $215,000 in funding for pedestrian and traffic safety improvements at King’s Fork Middle and High Schools.

The projects will be funded through the Automated Traffic Enforcement Program funds.

During the council meeting at City Hall Chambers on Wednesday, Dec. 20, council members approved a consent agenda to authorize the City Manager to spend $215,000 in Automated Traffic Enforcement Program funds to support traffic and pedestrian safety improvements. City Manager Albert S. Moor II provided details during the meeting.

“In regards to item 10, it is an ordinance authorizing the City Manager to spend $215,000 in Automated Traffic Enforcement Program funds, which will be used for two projects to include the update of school zone flashing lights and the installation of the pedestrian crosswalk at King’s Fork High School and King’s Fork Middle School,” Moor said.

The Public Safety Committee’s Wednesday, Nov. 29 meeting presented that $125,000 will be used for the school flashers while $90,000 will be used for the pedestrian crosswalk. Likewise, data on revenues and expenditures from the committee’s presentation detailed the city’s revenue and expenses from the traffic enforcement programs: the presentation listed that the total cumulative revenue received was $6,151,417, with a total of $4,037,507 retained by the city. Total expenses of $2,113,910 were paid to city vendor Altumint. For the bus arm camera systems, $17,000 was listed as the total cumulative revenue received, with $127,245 worth of equipment listed toward cumulative expenses incurred. Subtracting $3,332 of mailing costs, the net cumulative loss on the bus arm cameras was $113,557. 

An anticipated total cumulative revenue was listed as $15,797,800. Other projects underway include a right turn lane for South Quay Rd at O’Kelly Dr., signal and pedestrian upgrades for Portsmouth Blvd at Suburban Dr., and additional streetlights for parts of Saratoga, Wellons and Washington St.