Marsh Signal, Crosswalk Planned

A traffic signal and crosswalk will be installed on the north side of Madrona Marsh as a first step toward making the marsh more accessible.

Torrance City Council members voted 5 to 2 Tuesday, with Councilmen Bill Applegate and Dan Walker dissenting, to spend $30,000 for a crosswalk on Plaza del Amo. It will be located between Maple and Madrona avenues.

The city hopes to find money to build an interpretive center and parking lot on a triangular piece of city-owned land next to the marsh.

Applegate and Walker argued that a crosswalk in the middle of a block would be unsafe and asked the council to put off the decision until funding is available for the interpretive center. At that time, they said, money might also be available for a pedestrian overpass, which would cost between $300,000 and $500,000.

Council members also approved spending $121,000 to install a 7 1/2-foot-high steel fence around the marsh.