City council approves new traffic signal

La Mirada-  The city council approved the installation of a traffic signal at Telegraph Rd. and Hutchins Dr. in response to a dramatic increase in accidents at the intersection in the last year and a half.

A traffic engineer for the county told the council that there were 17 accidents over a five-year period ending May 31, 2018, with eight of the accidents occurring in just the last 12-months of that five-year period.


Three more accidents have occurred after the time period covered in the traffic study. Two more accidents were recorded in July and December 2018, and the most recent in January 2019 according to Sheriff's and California Highway Patrol data.

The traffic engineer noted that the study revealed that it appears motorists are using  Hutchins Dr and Wicker Dr. as a bypass to avoid the intersection of La Mirada Blvd. and Imperial Hwy.

The council was told that the new signal design would include coordination with other traffic signals along Telegraph Rd. to minimize the number of red lights the flow of traffic would encounter at the intersection.  

The cost of the new traffic signal was estimated at $400,000.

The project will advance shortly to the design phase and will also require coordinating the project with the county since part of the intersection lies in unincorporated South Whittier. 

The city estimates the signal will be installed in the next fiscal year which begins July 1st.


by La Mirada NewsBeat Staff