Cedar City officials herald new traffic light on Airport Road, say they hope it makes intersection safer

Written by Jeff Richards
April 25, 2023
New traffic lights at the intersection of Kitty Hawk Drive and Airport Road, Cedar City, Utah, April 24, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — One of Cedar City’s most historically troublesome intersections is now controlled by a new traffic signal.

Cedar City officials at the ribbon-cutting event for the new traffic signal at the intersection of Kitty Hawk Drive and Airport Road, Cedar City, Utah, April 24, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Monday morning, the new traffic lights, along with pedestrian walk/don’t walk indicators, were turned on for the first time at the intersection of Airport Road and Kitty Hawk Drive.

Later that day, Cedar City Mayor Garth Green and other city officials gathered at the northwest corner of the intersection to conduct a short ribbon-cutting event to commemorate the occasion.

Cedar City Police Chief Darin Adams commented that the new lights were “much needed.”

“The traffic flow, if you’ve been down here on any morning or afternoon, is backed up clear to the animal shelter at times,” Adams said.

Previously, through traffic along Airport Road didn’t have to stop, while vehicles traveling along Kitty Hawk had to wait until the intersection was clear before proceeding straight across or turning left. That was often difficult to do, especially for the large trucks that commonly travel in that industrial area.

Now, any vehicles turning left off Kitty Hawk will be able to do so via a dedicated green turn arrow.

City officials say they hope the new signals will help make the intersection safer for both vehicles and pedestrians.

As previously reported, the Cedar City Council budgeted $350,000 to fund the project last year, after commissioning Horrocks Engineers to conduct a traffic study that determined the intersection warranted a traffic signal. 

The new traffic lights were installed by contractor Cache Valley Electric, said Cedar City engineer Jonathan Stathis. 

Temporary message signs have been placed alongside roadways approaching the intersection to alert drivers about the new traffic signals.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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