Controversial traffic light installed near gas station on US 93 in Arizona

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A traffic light in Arizona is causing political controversy between two government offices.

Political squabbling is brewing in Arizona along a stretch of US 93 between the Arizona Department of Transportation and Mohave County over a new traffic light that was recently installed in the small town of White Hills, Arizona, right there at a little gas station called Last Stop.

According to Mohave County officials, there was no public outreach involved with that new light and they want it removed.

“No public outreach that we are aware of,” Buster Johnson with the Mohave County Board of Supervisors said. “They did at the start of it they asked our public works and public works said no it’s wasn’t a good idea and that was the last we heard from them before it went up.”

The lack of public outreach and transparency by ADOT is the center of the issue between Mohave County officials and the much larger and more powerful transportation agency.

“They’ve dealt with us in the past very well so it’s just surprising to me. We just can’t figure it out at all why they ignored us on this,” Johnson said.

According to Mohave County officials, ADOT completely ignored their repeated requests for answers on why the traffic light was installed on US 93, which they describe as a “freeway.”

“The people up there weren’t happy with it either which kinda surprise me,” Johnson said. “I thought maybe they would be more supportive of a light even through its few people but they weren’t supportive of it at all. They think it’s dangerous.”

FOX5 reached out to ADOT communications in Phoenix and even though they never responded to Mohave County, they did respond to us in a brief statement:

The traffic signal was installed and paid for by the landowner as part of a permit to build a traffic light along state property associated with a new development. A traffic signal analysis showed a signal was warranted.

“Every vendor wants to have a stoplight in front of their location so people stop and see their place and increases business but that’s not the way the road department should work,” Johnson said.

According to ADOT, Last Stop Gas Station paid 100% for the new traffic light that literally forces highway traffic to stop right in front of their store. FOX5 tried to reach out to the Last Stop Gas station to get their side of the story to respond to what Mohave County officials describe as a “self-serving traffic light in the middle of nowhere.”

“What we’ll probably do next if we don’t hear back from ADOT is go to our state legislature to have them put pressure on them to find out what’s going on,” Johnson said.

In the meantime, while the political ping-pong match continues between Mohave County and the Arizona Department of Transportation regarding the unwanted traffic light, drivers along US 93 in far northwestern Arizona will continue to stop next to Last Stop Gas Station whether they like it or not.

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