The speed limit is dropping on sections of two roads that go through the Lehi Heritage Neighborhood.
At its Monday meeting, the Mesa City Council voted 7-0 to lower the speed limit on Mesa Drive between Bates Street and Lehi Road, as well as on Horne between McKellips Road and Lehi Road.
The item was on the council’s consent agenda in which all matters are dealt with through one motion and vote.
Reducing the speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph on Mesa Drive between Bates Street and Lehi Road is meant to “account for Mesa Drive’s semi-rural road characteristics, the low-density residential characteristics, the agricultural and equestrian usage, as well as the need for heritage preservation,” according to a staff report.
In 2023, Mesa designated Lehi as a “Heritage Neighborhood” to “protect its unique historic and rural character, which dates back to its 1877 founding by Mormon pioneers,” the report continued.
Originally, a request was made to lower the speed limit on Mesa Drive to 30 mph from McKellips Road to Lehi Road. But under state statute, the difference between adjacent speed limits cannot exceed 10 mph and McKellips Road has a posted limit of 45 mph.
Installing two new speed limit signs on Mesa Drive between Bates Street and Lehi Road will cost less than $200, the report stated.
The speed limit will also drop to 30 mph from 35 mph on Horne between McKellips Road and Lehi Road.
That section of Horne provides north-south access through the Lehi Heritage Neighborhood and later dead ends at the Loop 202.
The intent for lowering the speed on that section of Horne is the same as the one for Mesa Drive.
Installing four new speed limit signs on Horne between McKellips Road and Lehi Road will cost less than $300, the report stated.
Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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