AUSTIN, Texas - For less than $2 million, traffic engineers tweaked four Austin intersections and found some major improvements.

Some changes were as simple as restriping the lanes and changing a few signs. Others involved creating additional turn lanes and building medians.

Pedestrians and drivers say they've noticed the changes.

"It is getting better than what it was," said Andre Maye, who lives near Rundberg Lane and N Lamar Boulevard.

At that location, engineers installed a median to prevent left turns except at intersections. They also made crosswalks more visible. The project, completed last June, has helped reduce crashes by 22 percent.

Crashes are down 43 percent at Lamar Boulevard and Parmer Lane, 57 percent at Cameron Road and US 183, and 61 percent at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and I-35.

"We need to wait some time to look back at the severity issue," said Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar. "In terms of the total number of crashes, we have been able to reduce them at some of these intersections by 60 percent."

The city has a list of several other intersections awaiting improvements, ranked by priority. Spillar said 15 to 18 of them will be revamped using money from the 2016 Mobility Bond package that voters approved.