A major roadway safety project in Tampa is complete.

The Fletcher Avenue Complete Streets Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvements project is aimed at improving safety for pedestrians along the busy stretch of roadway near the University of South Florida campus.

The improvements were made possible, in part, by federal funds.

The project cost $5 million total, with $3 million in Federal Highway Administration safety funds through the Florida Department of Transportation. It focuses on the stretch of Fletcher Avenue between Nebraska Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Safety improvements include five first-of-its-kind overhead warning lights at crosswalks, and even a crosswalk that forces traffic to stop with a red light. There are also new concrete islands in medians where pedestrians can safely wait to cross Fletcher Avenue.

People we talked to say they’ve already seen people ignoring the crosswalks, but can’t understand why.  

"People would normally jaywalk the road," said Shelton Adams, who walks along Fletcher Avenue daily. "And I appreciate them having the sidewalk and the crosswalk."

At Tuesday’s opening celebration, county officials will encourage people to walk or bike to the event, where they’ll go over all the new safety features, stressing the importance of using the new crosswalks and sidewalks.