The El Paso Independent School District is making changes to some crosswalks before the school year kicks off.

One high school is getting a type of crosswalk that's never been seen before in the city.

Crews are installing an in-roadway warning light crosswalk system on Schuster Avenue in front of El Paso High School, and it's thanks to recent alumna.

 "It's a very scary situation to be crossing the street when it seems cars are trying to chase you down," said Christina Favela, who graduated from El Paso High School last year.

"Even during the day, it didn't feel safe. Even when there were crossing guards, you'd always have to be extra careful, especially at night after games and events," she added.

 That's why, as a junior, she went to district meetings with the superintendent.

 "I brought it up, and slowly but surely, I spoke to officials from the city."

Speed bumps were not an option because of the emergency vehicles that cut through Schuster Avenue to the hospitals in the area. So Favela found another solution: an in-roadway warning light crosswalk system.

 "They're just circular lights that are going to be placed in the street, and they're red and yellow lights. What pedestrians are going to do is push a button, and as soon as they push a button, the lights are going to flash, and people are going to cross safely, day or night," said Favela.

Although El Paso High will be the only school to have this system, EPISD said they are working with the city on crosswalks at other schools.

 Ted Marquez, interim director of transportation, said, "If somebody wants a new school flash or school crossing, they usually go to the  principal, and the principal is the one that contacts us, and we do a study for them and find the proper location for that."

So far, the city has found that Houston Elementary, Coldwell Elementary, H.E Charles Middle School, Silva Medical Magnet School and Delta Academy needed improvements.

"Some will be completed before the school is in session, and some of them are still in progress and will be done at the beginning of the school year," said Marquez.

Improvements to Houston are already completed, the new crosswalks at El Paso High School should be complete by the start of the school year, and all the other projects are in the design phase and should be constructed between August 2012 and February 2013.

The city said the overall cost for the work is about $320,000. The funding for most of it was split, with the school district paying 60 percent and the city paying 40 percent, per city ordinance. The El Paso High School and Houston projects were funded 100 percent by EPISD.