Council approves traffic signal at Musett Drive and Tangerine Road despite narrowly missing warrant

The Oro Valley Town Council voted on March 4 to install a traffic signal at the Musett Drive and Tangerine Road intersection after a lengthy staff presentation and council debate.

Public Works Director Paul Keesler presented warrant testing conducted under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). He said four of nine MUTCD warrants were applicable, and the key peak‑hour volume warrant (warrant 3) fell short by seven vehicles — roughly a 7 percent deficit. Keesler added that staff improved site sight lines by clearing vegetation but that vertical curvature on Tangerine Road still produces partial occlusion for some vehicle profiles, which can make judgments of gaps hazardous for less experienced drivers and cyclists at dusk.

Keesler and the town traffic safety committee recommended installation under MUTCD’s allowance for extenuating circumstances. Council members debated two tensions: (1) enforcing an objective warrant standard consistently across the town versus (2) addressing a specific marginal sight‑distance hazard that staff and the safety committee judged a public‑safety issue. Vice Mayor Barrett and some council members expressed concern about precedent if the town approves signals that do not meet warrants; others, including Mayor Winfield and multiple council members, said staff’s conservative approach and the committee’s endorsement justified an exception.

Mayor Winfield moved to approve installation; Councilmember Green seconded. Vice Mayor Barrett abstained to signal concern about standards while not opposing the safety‑based recommendation. The motion passed with six ayes and one abstention.

Keesler said staff will proceed with signal design and construction timing per the approved Capital Improvement Program funding already budgeted for the project.