Sitka school zone flashers on Edgecumbe and Kashevaroff stay partly down while meters are back-ordered

School zone flashers on Edgecumbe Drive and Kashevaroff Street in Sitka aren't fully working. Drivers can't count on them to signal when school zone rules are in effect.

The City and Borough of Sitka said Tuesday, in a School Zone Flasher Replacement Update, that crews installing new flasher controls this fall found the electrical meters also need replacing. The new meters are on back order from the manufacturer. The city expects them to arrive in early November, though it cautioned that timeline could change.

Sitka's 2009 Safe Routes to Schools Master Plan said students walking or biking to Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary had to cross or travel along Edgecumbe Drive. Among its proposed fixes were a stop sign at Edgecumbe Drive and Kashevaroff, creating a four-way stop, and an in-roadway pedestrian crossing sign there. The plan doesn't say whether either was installed.

The city is asking drivers to use extra caution in school zones and to watch for more people walking and biking, especially during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup. Questions go to Public Works at 907-747-1804.