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EAGLE MOUNTAIN – After residents voiced concerns about safety and too many traffic accidents, the Utah Department of Transportation said it will be reducing the speed limit along a section of state Route 73.
"As more accidents are happening, I think people are becoming more aware that something needs to be done," said Zac Huish.
Huish said he has been in steady contact with UDOT ever since his teenage daughter was involved in a crash on her way to school in September.
"Unfortunately, both cars were totaled, but fortunately, both people were safe," Huish said.
The crash happened as his daughter tried to make a left turn onto S.R. 73 from Six-Mile Cutoff Road.
The intersection doesn't have a traffic signal and is the only way out of the neighborhood.
"At a minimum, just bring the speeds down so we can turn out safely," Huish said.
Leslie Austin lives near the intersection and told KSL-TV that due to the high speeds, it's difficult to safely turn on or off of S.R. 73, also known as the Cory B. Wride Memorial Highway.
"It's just getting worse, every day," Austin said. "There's just so much growth and they just haven't kept up with it."
In response, UDOT said it is in the final steps of approving a speed limit reduction in the area from 65 mph to 55 mph. The change could be finalized in the next few months.
"That was actually a direct response to the community reaching out to the department," said Geoff Dupaix, UDOT's region three senior communications manager.
Dupaix said UDOT does have the intersection of S.R. 73 and Six-Mile Cutoff Road, and other intersections along the corridor, identified for future traffic signals.
"Those plans are in place, and we are working on additional projects, as funding allows," he said.
Eventually, S.R. 73 will be converted into a freeway/frontage road system, but Dupaix said that could still be a decade away.
A spokesperson for Eagle Mountain City said the city is in regular communication with UDOT about the needs of the highway.
"We will continue to work with our partners at the state level on any future plans to widen the highway, place traffic lights at relevant intersections and develop frontage roads," read a statement from Tyler Maffitt, the city's communications manager. "Eagle Mountain City takes resident safety concerns seriously and has passed this feedback along to UDOT to aid their decision making."
Maffitt's statement went on to ask drivers to be mindful of their speed on S.R. 73.
While he's pleased to hear the announcement about the speed limit reduction near his neighborhood, Huish still calls for more to be done.
"I feel like the state needs to be more proactive in widening it out a little bit sooner and keeping up with the pace of growth in Eagle Mountain," he said.
