The town and the N.C. Department of Transportation partnered in a $207,000 pedestrian "Z crossing," designed to prevent people from accidentally walking into the path of trains at the intersection of Thompson Street and the CSX railroad tracks.

The design directs pedestrians through a sidewalk and z-shaped fence configuration that enables them to face the tracks in both directions before to crossing.

The integration of fencing is a key safety feature that leads pedestrians through the sidewalk configuration and discourages access to the railroad tracks at other points near the crossing.

Multiple signs guide walkers to the gated crossing and warn that trains go both ways along the area.

The crossing was installed at Thompson Street because of the town's plans for a pedestrian network linking downtown with developing areas near the town complex.

The town hopes that it will be known as the Thompson Street Strollway, safely ushering people from their homes to spend money downtown, said Bruce Radford, Apex's town manager.

Drew Thomas, NCDOT's crossing safety engineering manager, said the project piggybacks on passenger train route initiatives. Amtrak's Silver Star service, a passenger route that travels through most southeastern states, passes through Apex. "A segment of our program in the mid 1990s was to provide safety improvements to all the passengers in the state," Thomas said.