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In addition to a larger package of projects, "interim improvements" are going to be made at the intersection of North Euclid Avenue and East Second Street, Erica Frazelle, a spokesperson for the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM), said Monday.

Late Thursday night, Josiah Santos, 22, Sophia Troetel, 21, and Katya Castillo-Mendoza, 21, were walking in the marked but unlit crosswalk there when they were struck by a 2019 Porsche Boxer driven by Louis John Artal, 19, police said. All three died of their injuries.

Artal, also a UA student, faces three second-degree murder charges and a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The Tucson Police Department said Artal was impaired by alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the crash, was speeding and fled after striking the three students about 11 p.m. Thursday. He turned himself in about an hour later.

Over the weekend, an Ìý´Ç²ÔÌý began circulating, asking that a HAWK (high-intensity activated crosswalk) beacon with flashing lights be installed at the Euclid and Second Street crosswalks. As of Monday afternoon it had nearly 8,800 signatures.

According to data spanning from 2020 through 2024, "there was one non-injury bicycle and pedestrian incident reported at the intersection" of North Euclid Avenue and East Second Street, said Frazelle.

In terms of "interim improvements," Frazelle said the city will be "refreshing all signs and striping, inspecting street lighting for functionality and the consideration of flashing amber beacons."

A larger package of improvements "to ensure safety of all travelers in the corridor" has been in the works since 2023 for the intersection.

Those include, according to Frazelle, implementing a TOUCAN (TwO groUps CAN cross) signal at the intersection, like the signal that cyclists and pedestrians use just a few blocks south to cross North Euclid Avenue while traveling on East Fifth Street.

Once that work is completed, the intersection will have a new traffic signal "with red/yellow/and green indications" for northbound and southbound traffic traveling on North Euclid. Additionally, it will have a connection for a future Second Street Bicycle Boulevard and separate bicycle and pedestrian paths for those crossing North Euclid on East Second Street.

Frazelle said the traffic light "will be a dedicated signal to stop traffic on Euclid for bikes and (pedestrians) that wish to cross Second Street." Turn restrictions will also be in place, she said.

Once the intersection is revamped, drivers on Second Street will be restricted to only right turns at the Euclid Avenue intersection. Drivers traveling northbound on North Euclid will still be prohibited from making a left turn onto Second Street, as they are currently. Finally, a dedicated left-turn lane will be established for southbound drivers on Euclid wishing to make a turn onto eastbound Second Street.

This project is part of a package of six locations in total where signalized pedestrian crossings will be installed, which is funded through American Rescue Plan Act dollars, Frazelle said. The other five intersections are:

• East Prince Road and North Los Altos Avenue, just west of North First Avenue;
• East Fort Lowell Road and North Geronimo Avenue;
• West Grant Road and North Coyote Drive;
• East Speedway and East Second Street; and
• East Speedway and East Belvedere Avenue.

Frazelle said the other five intersections targeted will likely implement HAWK lights, while Euclid and Second will get the TOUCAN.

Plans are complete for the package of projects "and the next step will be securing a contractor for construction," Frazelle said. DTM packaged the six projects together for "economy of scale" reasons, Frazelle said, as it will be easier to go to a contractor for a price estimate of the whole package.

City, UA officials react to crash

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said safety "for students and all Tucsonans is a priority" and an important part of her Safe City Initiative she rolled out last month.

“Ensuring the safety for students and all Tucsonans is a priority, and is an important part of my Safe City Initiative. A HAWK crossing is already planned for the area and we will be working with Ward 6, students from the University of Arizona, TPD and nearby Tucson High School so that we can come up with the solutions to keep all pedestrians safe," Romero said. "It is important that we have a shared conversation about what it means to get behind the wheel on our city streets. We have a responsibility to keep each other safe."

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella, during the UA Faculty Senate meeting Monday, spoke about the "devastating tragedy that led to the loss of life."

"I just can't imagine how the families are handling this. It's very hard to imagine oneself in that position and our prayers are certainly with the families," Garimella said, looking somber and shaken while putting his thoughts into words. "It's just hard to process this, and all I can say is, let's pay extra attention to each other, support each other and support our students."

UA Provost Patricia Prelock said she hopes the incident will bring about change in the way the UA community looks at alcohol and drug use.

"I, too, want to acknowledge our three students, and actually a fourth student whose life has now changed, but will cause us to think differently about how we support our students and look at the use of alcohol and drugs on campus. So, we will be addressing that," Prelock said.

"I was at the vigil last night with a thousand students and faculty and staff. It was quite amazing and beautiful, and the words of our students were just powerful," Prelock said. "Because Sophia, Katya and Josiah really made a difference on this campus and it was really nice to be able to hear those words and to understand the impact that each of them had so young."

Tucson City Council member Karin Uhlich, whose Ward 6 encompasses the area where "three precious, young lives" were lost, said Monday that it was "hard to find any words to acknowledge the horrific hit and run accident" that occurred last week.

"At the request of family and community members we will of course have our Transportation Department review safety measures at the intersection and along the entirety of Euclid Avenue. I have no doubt Mayor and Council will take staff and community recommendations seriously," Uhlich said in her weekly newsletter. "Right now we join our entire valley in deep shock and sadness; and we will join the University in all ways we can to support family members and others close to Katya, Sophia and Josiah as they absorb this unimaginable loss and grief."

Mona Hymel, vice chair of the Faculty Senate, started that Senate's Monday meeting by having the room full of faculty senators and administrators observe a minute of silence for Troetel, Santos and Castillo-Mendoza.

Faculty Senator Stacey Cochran dedicated his two minutes of speaking time in the meeting to the importance of community in times of tragedy.

“On my way into campus this morning, I passed through that crosswalk and saw a small memorial of flowers and gifts," Cochran said, saying he and his wife, Susan, live in the West University neighborhood. "My kids and I use that same crosswalk almost every day. This past year has reminded me, personally and profoundly, of how much we depend on one another.�

"In the wake of last week’s tragedy, I hope we as a university remember that our strength lies not just in our scholarships or teaching, but in our willingness to stand together, to care for one another, to extend compassion when we are hurting, for, that is what it truly means to ‘Bear Down'," Cochran said, bringing tears to some in the audience.