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Old stop signs on the north and south side of the Main Street and Maple Street intersection in Mapleton were replaced with flashing stop signs earlier this week. They are photographed on Aug. 5, 2022.

Kelcie Hartley, Daily Herald file photo

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The Maple Street and Main Street intersection in Mapleton is shown on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.

Kelcie Hartley, Daily Herald file photo

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A new four-way intersection at Maple Street and Main Street will provide additional safety for anyone crossing the street to and from Mapleton City Park. The new stop signs will be added Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.

Kelcie Hartley, Daily Herald file photo

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Mapleton City and the Utah Department of Transportation are working together to add two flashing stop signs to the east and west sides of the Main Street and Maple Street intersection, creating a four-way stop.

The new stop signs will be installed Monday. The traditional stop signs on the north and south side of the intersection were replaced with flashing stop signs earlier this week.

Mapleton Police Chief John Jackson said UDOT recognized the need for the four-way stop sign because of an increase in accidents in that intersection. Population growth was another reason Jackson felt switching to a four-way intersection was a good idea.

“It’s state road 147 so UDOT has control of the intersection,” Jackson said. “They had access to accident reports and saw an uptick in accidents there, so they felt like it justified a four-way stop sign. We have noticed an uptick in accidents, there’s no question about that.”

Public Works Director Steven Lord has been working directly with UDOT on this project.

“UDOT and I work pretty closely on anything regarding traffic control in Mapleton with their roadways, which are Highway 89, Maple Street, 1600 South and South Main Street,” Lord said. “Anytime they identify something that needs to be considered, we work together. In this case, they contacted me and said they performed a four-way stop warrant study, and it came back warranting a four-way stop.”

It was Lord’s idea to install flashing stop signs instead of traditional ones. He also proposed replacing the north and south ones with flashings signs.

“UDOT agreed that it would be a good idea,” he said. “So, we purchased the signs and will install them. UDOT will reimburse the city for those costs.

“Generally, we make the decision in Mapleton to use flashing stop signs when we have any intersection with what we would consider our collector streets. It’s to improve visibility and let people know it’s a major stop and a higher classification of road.”

The city wanted to make sure residents received a notice that the traffic pattern in that area was going to change, according to Lord. That’s why the east and west signs are being installed Monday.

“We don’t want to surprise everyone with a new four-way stop without any notice, so we thought we would wait and install the other two signs Monday,” Lord said.

The Mapleton Police Department will have A-frame barricades about 100 yards before the new stop signs to alert drivers of the change. The barricades will only be out for a few weeks, according to Jackson.

“I think everyone will get used to it pretty quickly,” he said. “It’ll be common in a week or two, and we will keep growing as a city.”

For now, Jackson said this is the only traffic pattern adjustment occurring in the city.

“We are constantly evaluating several roads in our town,” he said. “As we continue to grow, traffic increases, and we constantly evaluate speeds and stop signs.”

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