Small streams of pedestrians wove through the Beaver Avenue and Allen Street intersection Monday evening beneath eight new pedestrian signals State College Borough workers installed last week.

While walking across Beaver Avenue, Jenny Gao (graduate-chemistry) said the signs -- which flash a bright, seven-second countdown next to the usual blinking orange hand -- make her feel safer as a pedestrian.

"In State College, I think it's so normal that students just go across the street without paying attention to the traffic signals," she said. "[The signs] let me be aware of how long I need to wait."

That's exactly what Public Works Director Mark Whitfield said he hoped the signs would do.

"I think there's always been a question of, once the 'don't walk' sign comes up, how long do you have to cross the street," he said. "[The signs] are really providing the pedestrian with a little more information."

Borough workers also installed audible signals at the intersection last week. Whitfield said they're designed for visually impaired pedestrians who can push a button at each corner to hear an audio message of the street's crossing status. The intersection -- the second most trafficked in the borough -- is the first to be equipped with the countdown signals, borough council member Elizabeth Goreham said. She said the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus stop and the new Schlow Centre Region Library, both located at the intersection, make it a busy crossing.

"It is a real dangerous intersection because it is so busy and because there are people who have walking difficulties or very young children with tiny legs," she said. "They need extra time and information to get across safely."

Council approved funding for the eight signals, which cost $300 each, last October, Goreham said.

"I like the idea," she said. "We have a lot of hearing- and sight-impaired people in the town."

After crossing the intersection, Diana Morales (sophomore-political science) said she thought the signals would be helpful to the physically disabled. As for students like herself, she wasn't so sure.

"Where are they?" she asked, looking back at the intersection. "I didn't even notice them at all."

Whitfield said the borough paid for the countdown signals through its capital improvement program, a five-year spending plan for borough projects. The library paid for the audio signals and other improvements at the intersection through a $9 million library construction project fund, to which the borough contributed more than $1.9 million to, he said.

Neither Whitfield nor Schlow Library Director Betsy Allen had a cost estimate for the audible signals.

Allen said the library received an $800,000 federal transit administration grant for improvements at the intersection, including an extended area for the CATA bus stop.

She said that before the new library was built, many customers had trouble crossing the street with their children. The old building's entrance sat right along Beaver Avenue, and the bus stop was positioned directly in front of the entrance doors, blocking the way, Allen said.

The new pedestrian signals are another step toward making the trip easier for customers, she said.

"We wanted to make it pleasant -- and not a frightening experience -- for people to cross the street," Allen said. "I think a lot of people cross at the wrong times, and there are a lot of cars that go fairly fast."

Although council considered upgrading five intersections with the devices last year, Goreham said members wanted to see how they worked at one intersection first.

Whitfield said the borough would study pedestrians' behavior at the intersection this spring after walkers have gotten used to them to assess the signals' effects.

"I think it will be positive," he said. "I'll be surprised if council doesn't want to put more in."

Whitfield said there's no money earmarked for additional signals yet. The earliest pedestrians could see more signals is 2007, he said.