TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — School is underway at Mica Mountain High School. That means students are starting to get a feel for how the new flying tee intersection works.
Taryn Wood, a junior at Mica Mountain High School, started a Change.org petition in May of last year after she said the area in front of the student parking lot was not safe.
"It was definitely a terrifying experience until we definitely got that new flying tee intersection," Wood said.
Principal Nemer Hassey said when the school first opened in 2020, Valencia Road was not nearly as busy as it is today.
"It's 600 students, but we have parents that come and go, we have staff that come and go, and so there's a lot of traffic. Problems we're having are the speeds on Valencia are crazy, and trying to turn left when you're waiting for both ends of traffic is really difficult," Hassey said.
Hassey credited the Pima County Transportation Department for helping make the new intersection happen.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: From petition to pavement: A new, safer intersection at Mica Mountain
"This is just a good step forward; hopefully down the road, as busy as this road is, maybe we will get a light, but it'll be down the road. I'm just happy that we can exit this lot," Hassey said.
The county told KGUN 9 in July that a traffic light at the intersection could cost $2 million.
Hassey said they showed students videos of how the intersection works and, during the first week of school, had security to make sure traffic drivers knew how to navigate the new intersection. "It's confusing until you do it once, and then it's pretty easy," Hassey explained.
Wood said she is glad she spoke up when a change needed to happen.
"Not many high schoolers are willing to make a change like that. I would definitely say that I take great pride in it, especially since I was able to enforce safety because I would hate to see if any of our students got injured or even killed," Wood said.
"It's better saying something about it than not saying anything at all, or else it's never gonna happen," Wood said.
Hassey wants to remind drivers to slow down on Valencia when approaching the school.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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