County leaders and residents in White Flint celebrated a milestone in helping to ensure the safety of pedestrians Wednesday evening.

That’s because new crosswalks, equipped with automatic walk signals, were unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony with Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, County Council President Roger Berliner, and the county’s Department of Transportation Director, Al Roshdieh, on the intersection of Nicholson Lane and Executive Boulevard.

These new crosswalks are a part of a larger project, the White Flint Sector Plan, which includes improving the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

“This is a big deal,”  Mark Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Choice Real Estate Group, said. “Me and my family […] we eat here, we do everything in this area so the more you see it changing and improve, it lets us know that they are actually being proactive and care.”

It was the persistence of a grassroots collection of people from Pike Park Pedestrians, with the help of staff from Friends of White Flint and the Coalition of Smarter Growth, that promoted Montgomery County leaders and MCDOT to respond.

Wednesday’s ribbon cutting was just one of dozens of projects MCDOT has planned for the White Flint area.

“This is the first of tangible and physical improvements that are being constructed that we’ve helped work for,” Jay Corbalis, development associate for Federal Realty, said. “It’s more symbolic of the on the ground, safe improvements, we’re making.”