![[STOCK IMAGE] Heber City plans to add a traffic light at 1200 South 500 East by the end of 2023.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/34da57e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2560x1920+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fde%2F49%2Fd38420644af585f4820712730b7d%2Fadobestock-54657.jpeg)
The teenager was hit by a car last Thursday at 1200 South 500 East, near the Wasatch County Library. A crosswalk with lights is already there, but with the city council’s approval Tuesday evening, a traffic light may also be there by the end of the year.
Before the council voted unanimously to approve a contract, Councilmember Rachel Kahler said she regretted the traffic light wasn’t there sooner.
“We have been working on this,” she said. “It is so, so sad that we had to get to the point where we did have an accident. We’re hoping that (injured child) continues to heal, and, you know, from the city’s standpoint, it’s the worst nightmare, as I drove by that morning and saw the public safety vehicles. I’m grateful that he is healing.”
Another car wreck happened near the intersection in August.
City Engineer Russell Funk said councilmembers asked city staff to accelerate plans for the traffic light after that incident, well before the crash that involved the 14-year-old last week.
“We’ve all driven that road,” Funk said. “We all know it’s hard to get out. So, the city wanted to be proactive and is being proactive in getting this done.”
Funk said the traffic light has been a goal since before October 2022, when a traffic study suggested a traffic light would help drivers navigate that spot, and it should be ready by the end of this year.
“Assuming everything is approved and awarded,” he said, “we assume that traffic signal will be in and operational before the end of the year. There is a potential, and the reason it’s taking maybe longer than we want, is availability of materials for it.”
The contract with Skyline Electric Company will be worth nearly $150,000.
