Cedar City’s Messed Up Intersections

I think we've all been a little frustrated with the increase in traffic going on in Cedar City these days. It is taking longer to get from one side of town to the other. Now, we're no Los Angeles - thank heavens – but still, what used to take 5 to 10 minutes is now looking like 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes, I have had to wait for 3 cycles of the stop light to get through the intersection at Main Street and 200 North. And no, that's not waiting to turn left, it's just trying to get straight through. But, these are the things we can expect as we experience the growth in the community.

That said, there are some interesting intersections in town that can exacerbate the frustration. We asked on the Big Picture Morning Show “what are the most messed (we may actually have used another adjective) intersections in Cedar City.” Some answers were surprising.

1100 West at University (Center)

You might be wondering what's the problem here. There's not even any cars in the picture. But, if you are here wanting to turn west (left from this angle) you could be in for a hair raising time. See the bridge that's off to the left? Vehicles coming from there are sometimes not seen until that last second because of coming over the bridge. Plus, to the east there's a bit of obstacles in seeing on coming traffic. Sure this intersection might be empty now. But in a few weeks when Southern Utah University begins classes, there will be a lot of trafic here. Making that turn on to University / Center street can be white knuckle time.

New Kids On The Block

Here's 600 South at 1100 West. Another intersection with not much going on right now. But when the school bells ring in a couple of weeks this one gets fun. With Cedar High School just to the east, and the overpass of I-15 just to the west, this becomes a high volume intersection, especially when school is about to start and even more so when school gets out. Add to this in winter time when that overpass gets snowy and icy, and some of the less experienced drivers trying to get home and this one turns to a lot of fun.

You'll Need Providence

The Providence Center. This was the intersection that I agreed was the most problematic. You've got traffic coming off and trying to get on the interstate. You've got all the shoppers entering and leaving the several shopping centers (Walmart one one side, Walgreens and Panda Express on another corner and Cafe Rio and Starbucks on yet another corner). Along with that you've got other streets feeding in to Sage street and this one clogs up easily. Ever tried turning out of the Panda Express parking lot on to Sage Street? Bring a book.

A Real Firball

Can you say cluster! A caller to the Big Picture thought this was the most dangerous intersection in town. I think she's right. See the traffic trying to get on Main Street from Fir Street? No stop light to help out. Traffic coming down Main Street here is going fairly rapidly. Turning right on to Main? Good luck. Turning left? Hope your prayers are answered. But you have to zoom back to see the entire story.

Now you see it's not just vehicles coming off Fir Street, you also have drivers trying to get on Main Street from the Sportsman Warehouse shopping area.

Sadly, I was not able to find the intersection one of our callers mentioned on the show. Apparently, out in the Westview area, there's an intersection where if you approach from one direction (say east-west) you get a stop sign, and if you approach from the other direction (north-south) you get a yield sign. If you know where that intersection is we would love to get a picture of it (I did go looking for it). Maybe it's the one where all the cars are waiting trying to figure out who can move.