Sandy staff recommend HAWK signal, keep crossing at 2220 East to improve safety on Wasatch Boulevard

Public Works staff recommended installing a HAWK (High-Intensity Activated crosswalk) signal at the existing 2220 East/High Mesa Drive crossing on Wasatch Boulevard to improve pedestrian safety, particularly for schoolchildren and park users.

The recommendation came during the Sept. 16 Sandy City Council meeting, when Public Works transportation planner Brittney Ward presented a multi-year review of sightings, speed data, sight-distance constraints and prior mitigations along Wasatch Boulevard. “The primary traffic control device at a HAWK crossing is the red light itself,” Ward said, describing how the signal provides a full red indication that requires vehicles to stop and then an alternating flashing red that allows drivers to proceed only after the crosswalk is clear.

Ward told the council that the city has already installed Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and audible pedestrian signals at other locations, trimmed trees to improve visibility, deployed a mobile speed trailer and established a reduced-speed school zone at 2220 East. She said the HAWK would retain the existing school zone and crossing-guard function and would be more visible to drivers, especially on the downhill approach.

Public Works evaluated five alternatives, including keeping the existing treatment, an overhead RRFB, and HAWK installations at three candidate locations (west of High Mesa Drive at about 1950 East, east of High Mesa Drive at about 2240 East, and at the current 2220 East location). Ward said the 2220 East location is the city department’s preferred option because it maintains the current school walk route, preserves the existing crossing guard and bus stop locations, and serves pedestrians going to nearby parks and schools without requiring detours.

Ward noted constraints: a pedestrian refuge island is not feasible at 2220 East because the east–west left-turn pockets are needed. Bulb-outs are possible but would require additional funding and detailed design to protect bicyclists and preserve buffered bike lanes.

Council members pressed staff on expected effects. Ward said RRFBs are a warning (yellow) and require drivers to assess whether a pedestrian is present, while a HAWK provides a solid red that requires stopping. “When a crossing guard shuffles kids across the road, they do so in synchronization with that existing traffic signal,” Ward said, adding that crossing guards could operate the HAWK and that the signal can be programmed with longer red times to accommodate slower walking speeds.

Council members generally expressed support. Council member Marcy Hausman said the $200,000 already allocated would cover the HAWK installation, and asked staff to study additional, optional measures such as an advance-warning signal for the downhill approach. Ward said the overhead HAWK is the preferred safety upgrade and that the city will continue studying advanced warnings and potential bulb-outs if additional funds become available.

Residents and regular road users also spoke during public comment. Steve McKinnon, who lives near Wasatch Boulevard, described frequent high-speed traffic during evening commute hours and near-misses when drivers stop for pedestrians. “I live literally a 100 feet from the road. I walk it. I bike it. I see the kids, I see the incidences of almost lives taken away,” McKinnon said. Another resident who commutes by bicycle thanked staff for meeting and urged continued attention to bike-lane continuity.

If the council directs staff to proceed, Ward said Salt Lake County, which installs traffic signals for the city, would likely schedule installation next construction season; staff estimated the HAWK could be installed within a year but said it was unlikely to be completed the current season.

Why this matters: Wasatch Boulevard carries neighborhood, school and park pedestrian traffic across a curvy, downhill stretch that makes stopping distances longer for westbound drivers. Staff said the HAWK at 2220 East would provide a legally enforceable stop signal when activated and better visibility overhead compared with side-mounted flashing beacons, lowering the risk of collisions at the established crossing.

Next steps: Public Works will take council feedback into the final design and return with details if the council formally directs construction. Ward said additional improvements — bulb-outs, raised medians or advance-warning signals — would require extra funding and further study.