TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Taryn Wood is only a freshman at Mica Mountain High School. But she is behind a petition with over 2,500 signatures.
The goal is better traffic safety outside her school for the over 1,300 students.
“We've had tons of instances where there's almost been wrecks, like very close calls,” says Wood.
Mica Mountain principal Nemer Hassey says part of the problem is that Valencia is connected from Houghton to Old Spanish Trail.
"With Old Spanish Trail all the way down, it's just a busy community, Rocking K is booming. It's just gonna get busier on a two-lane road," says Hassey.
The Pima County Department of Transportation says a stoplight at that intersection could cost between $3 to 4 million. And while a stoplight is something they are considering, they may also go a different route.
"We're not ruling out a traffic signal, but we're also going to be looking at, maybe there's some other opportunities, other configurations that we can look at to go ahead and meet both safety and mobility requirements at that location," says Mike Hendrix, traffic safety and studies manager for the county.
Hendrix says they have already worked on putting different safety measures in, like rumble strips, but now are looking at more options and studies.
"We've been working too with the Pima County Sheriff's Department and identifying which times that we've seen have had the highest speeds on there to help," says Hendrix.
The studies will take place over the coming months, once students come back to school.
"Maybe it might be a traffic signal, but it also may be something that we can implement on a quicker timeframe, because a $3 to 4 million project is a big ask, and we need to go ahead and plan that over some time to get that up and going," Hendrix says.
In the meantime, Hassey says he will continue to meet with parents and do everything he can to keep students safe.
"We meet with parents and just explain about when the traffic flow is heavy. You know, we have 1,300 students," says Hassey, "I know it costs money. But they need a light."
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
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