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SOUTH JORDAN — South Jordan city leaders and the Utah Department of Transportation are making changes to an intersection that has a disproportionately high number of accidents.
The intersection of Mountain View Corridor and Daybreak Parkway has seen 49 crashes from Jan. 1, 2012, to Feb. 19, 2015, according to numbers supplied to South Jordan by UDOT. The Corridor intersection with the next highest total was 9000 South with 16.
Accidents at the Daybreak Parkway intersection from 2012 to 2014 (44) added up to roughly a third of the total crashes (131) along the entire stretch of Mountain View Corridor during that time period, according to police and UDOT statistics.
South Jordan Mayor Dave Alvord said the changes include crossing guards coinciding with when schoolchildren may cross the road, increased enforcement, new “signal ahead” signs and better coordination between lights.
UDOT spokesman John Gleason said the actual traffic lights themselves would also be changed, so that drivers wouldn’t see them until they are closer to the intersection.
“It causes drivers to be more cautious,” Gleason said.
Alvord said several residents came forward and brought their concerns to the city about the intersection.
“That’s really been the trigger for all of this,” Alvord said.
I'm afraid that accidents are going to keep happening and also that students maybe get hit by cars that are not stopping, The danger is there, and the potential for more accidents to happen is really high.
–Keila Mower, South Jordan resident
Resident Keila Mower was one of those to observe problems — primarily drivers running red lights.
“I’m afraid that accidents are going to keep happening and also that students maybe get hit by cars that are not stopping,” Mower said. “The danger is there, and the potential for more accidents to happen is really high.”
A South Jordan police study of Utah highway safety data found of the 44 crashes from 2012 to 2014, 57 percent were due to “disregarding” a red light and 70 percent of the crashes were “T-bone or similar” scenarios.
The Daybreak Parkway intersection was site of a deadly crash on Nov. 3 when officials said a sedan ran a red light and was struck by a semi. Both drivers died.
Alvord said drivers should think beyond the prospects of getting a ticket if they run red lights.
“The mindset really should be you’re risking your life and the lives of others,” he said.
Gleason said by comparison, the three-year accident total along Mountain View Corridor (131) was significantly lower than two other major north-south routes on the west side. Gleason drew comparisons to three-year, 2010-2012 crash totals of 2,076 for Bangerter Highway and 321 for U-111.
Still, Gleason said the relatively high numbers at the Daybreak Parkway intersection are enough to raise concerns for UDOT.
“If there are more crashes at a particular intersection than others, we look at potential reasons for that and improvements we can make,” Gleason said.
Gleason said some of the changes at the intersection were likely to be implemented in the next month.
Alvord said the city would meet in May to evaluate the changes. He noted eventually Mountain View Corridor will become a freeway, but he said improvements are needed in the meantime.
“We hope that will reduce the number of people running the red light,” Alvord said.
