A new intersection is now in place outside Mica Mountain High School on Valencia Road after community members raised safety concerns and a student started a Change.org petition calling for changes.
Pima County installed a flying tee intersection after hearing feedback from residents who said the area was unsafe, especially for young and inexperienced high school drivers.
The new design changes how drivers leave the student parking lot. Instead of crossing into the path of westbound traffic to make a left turn, drivers now pull into a dedicated lane before continuing on Valencia Road or merging right.
“It’s now a through lane, so the drivers, they’ll be able to go ahead, turn into that lane, and either continue on towards Valencia, or they could merge and turn to the right,” Pima County traffic engineer Mike Hendrix said. “So they only have to cross one opposing direction of traffic.”…