SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- A recent Utah Department of Transportation study shows one intersection along the Mountain View Corridor has a significantly higher number of traffic accidents than all of other intersections on the highway combined. Residents called for change, and the city and UDOT are answering the call.
According to UDOT, there have been 49 accidents at the intersection of Mountain View Corridor and Daybreak Parkway in South Jordan, and that accounts for 45 percent of all of the accidents that have occurred on the highway in its three-year existence.
“It is serious and alarming," South Jordan Resident Keila Mower said.
Last November, two drivers were killed when they collided at the signal. South Jordan resident Keila Mower noticed the high frequency of accidents and got her mayor's attention.
"That gets any mayor's attention when we have a fatality, but then I started to get a lot of emails from residents letting me know that this is a dangerous intersection; they [had] been in an accident themselves," said Dave Alvord, Mayor of South Jordan.
Alvord organized a meeting with UDOT, other city leaders, and the Jordan School District to try to find a resolution to the issue.
“We had about 15 people in our conference room, and we actually just looked at the problem and said, ‘What can we do about it?’” Alvord said.
Since the meeting Monday, two possible solutions are already in the works. A large number of the accidents at the intersection are the result of drivers running red lights, so UDOT plans to change to the traffic signals and their timing schedule.
“On these new signal heads, it will be more based on proximity--so the closer you get you'll be able to tell if it's a green light or red light, which forces drivers to be more alert and more aware as they approach an intersection," UDOT Spokesman John Gleason said.
The second will be provided by the city of South Jordan: crossing guards to bring more attention to pedestrians in the area
"Children cross the street to go to the junior high and high school here in Herriman, and we also have kids coming from Herriman to got to the charter school," Mower said.
The changes are already in the works, and Mower hopes this inspires others in the community to speak up when they see a threat to the public's safety.
"You don't have to be involved in government to really have an impact in your community,” she said. “A simple citizen like myself can take a step to solve the solution and find a solution for a problem.”
