Another six intersections will see short-term safety improvements in the coming months, part of a Houston Public Works effort to tackle problem spots for pedestrians across the city.

The locations were chosen after public works, Houston Police and community groups cooperated in an assessment led by the Federal Highway Administration, aimed at finding quick fixes to crossings where conditions put pedestrians at risk, as well as suggesting more substantive — and costly — major upgrades.

City crews will make some short-term fixes in the next few weeks or months, while major repairs could take two or three years.

In many cases, the first fix is simply repainting crosswalk lines and maintaining the signals that tell pedestrians where to cross, said Jeff Weatherford, deputy director of public works, overseeing traffic and drainage operations. Those are the quick fixes planned for Bissonnet and Wilcrest, where there have been nine pedestrian-related crashes since 2014, three of which caused serious injuries and one fatality.

Meanwhile, key spots such as Allen Parkway and Shepherd will need more expensive remedies.

“We are going to need to rebuild the crossing at Kirby and Shepherd,” Weatherford told the City Council Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure committee Thursday.

Pedestrian Problems Officials are planning repairs at the following six intersections: Allen Parkway, Kirby and Shepherd Bissonnet and Wilcrest Fondren and West Bellfort Hawthorne, Holman and Smith Long Point and Gessner Taylor, Spring and MKT Trail Source: Houston Public Works

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Though the Allen Parkway and Shepherd crossing experienced only one pedestrian-related incident in the past five years, compared to 14 at Fondren and West Bellfort, the Allen crossing was identified because of the potential for conflicts, and growing use of the Buffalo Bayou trail system that is expected to send more cyclists and walkers toward the bayou. Officials made a similar observation at Hawthorne and Smith in downtown Houston, which had zero pedestrian crashes but still was chosen for improvements.

“What we are trying to do here is prevent us from having any in the next five years,” Weatherford said.

Downtown pedestrians on Thursday cheered the attention, noting the need for more awareness of where vehicles and walkers cross paths.

“I think walking downtown makes me a better driver,” said Cheri Berg, 36, who lives in Cypress. “Some people just don’t think about someone stepping off a curb in front of them until they have been on the other side of windshield.”

The repairs are the second group of six tackled by the city, following Mayor Sylvester Turner’s order to address the most dangerous intersections in the city. Turner later promised accelerated attention on improvements after a crash that killed two people near 10th and Shepherd.

That intersection immediately was addressed, with public works installing a pedestrian beacon that allows for a mid-block crossing, but only stops traffic when someone activates the signal.

“They are probably one of the most effective devices out there,” Weatherford said.

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Upgrading the intersections also follows the city’s adoption of a Vision Zero policy, with the goal of eliminating roadway fatalities. While elimination is a long way away, Weatherford said the first step is considering all deaths avoidable, either by better roadway design, greater police enforcement or education of drivers, pedestrians and others to take greater care.

“There is no reason for us to have them other than the fact we don’t do the things we should be doing,” Weatherford said.

dug.begley@chron.com