AUBURN - Many of the signs on East Genesee Street are there on recommendation from the state Department of Transportation.

But some of them can be removed if the city of Auburn wishes to do so, according to an engineer who worked on the project.

James Morrissey, of C&S Companies, addressed recent concerns Thursday night that officials and residents have raised over the signs along the recently rebuilt road.

The bright yellow pedestrian signs have been placed at the crosswalks for safety reasons, but the state has not mandated that they stay there, Morrissey said.

“It is left up to your discretion,” he told the council and City Manager Mark Palesh.

But while Morrissey said he understands the concerns over the appearance of the neon-looking signs, he also suggested the crosswalks near Hoopes Park remain marked.

With the East Genesee Street project almost finished, motorists are tempted to drive through the area at higher speeds than before.

And as the traffic lines and cross walks eventually fade, they will be harder to see on the road, he said.

Morrissey added that the project's designers took a conservative approach to the street's safety precautions.

“You're protected as much as you can be protected,” he said before adding that physically raising the crosswalks to create speed bumps could make the street even safer for pedestrians.

Morrissey suggested city officials wait awhile before making any decisions to take out those signs.

The city could also switch the bright chartreuse signs to a more subdued, canary yellow, he said.

Councilor Matthew Smith said after the meeting that he understands why people have complained about the number of signs along East Genesee Street. But the city has to put safety first, he said.

“Once we have settled in for an amount of time, we can look into possibly removing some of the signs,” Smith said.

Councilor Gilda Brower said during the meeting that drivers and pedestrians in Auburn both need to become more aware.

“I'm looking forward to the time when the car and the pedestrian are really in tune with each other,” Brower said.

In other news:

� Construction of a city road currently leading to nowhere could begin as early as next year, the city's head engineer told councilors.

William Lupien, superintendent of engineering services, updated council on the four-phase job to build a connector road between Grant Avenue and North Street, which is named John Walsh Boulevard. The project's various phases are in the midst of state and federal reviews and they're all in different areas of completion, he said.

“But they're moving right along,” Lupien said.

Lupien also said work for the part of the project on York Street could begin by late 2009 or early 2010.