Death of UMKC student leads to new traffic signal near campus
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City officials have installed a new traffic signal at 51st and Troost Avenue, months after the death of a UMKC student prompted urgent calls for change.
Yuxi Wu, a pianist at the UMKC Conservatory, died in September 2024 after she was hit by a car while crossing Troost on her scooter. At the time, there was no traffic signal at that location.
Her death was one of four fatalities at 51st and Troost in the last decade, according to city records. Following the tragedy, leaders from UMKC and nearby Rockhurst University came together with city officials to advocate for immediate safety improvements.
“It did not follow the usual several year process that it takes,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal. “They salvaged the materials from other places.”
City crews acted quickly, adding a signalized intersection at the site where Wu was hit. The effort is part of Kansas City’s broader Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths by the year 2030.
“This is a street where we have seen too many challenges, and tragically, here we have lost a student to not having the safety that we needed,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “Our goal isn’t for you to traverse Kansas City as fast as possible, to get through however many places – to not hit lights. Our goal is to make sure that everyone’s safe.”
During an interview at the intersection, the mayor was interrupted by fast-moving traffic. Some local residents say speeding remains a serious issue. Lisa Jefferson is among them. She crosses the intersection daily.
“I’m walking across the street. Sometimes I’m scared if I might get hit,” Jefferson said. “You see people walking – slow down.”
City Councilman Jonathan Duncan agrees that traffic on Troost is too fast.
“I just was held up (driving) by a wreck at 59th and Troost on my way over here. We know Troost is too fast,” Duncan said.
To address the danger along what’s known as the city’s high-injury network, leaders said they are evaluating additional measures—such as road diets, traffic calming strategies, and speed humps—to slow drivers down and protect pedestrians.
Mayor Lucas said the city’s goals go beyond reducing commute times. He added that Vision Zero is about deg a city where everyone can travel safely—regardless of how they move through it.
“That’s what Vision Zero is all about. It’s not getting people to change the way they live, change the way they exist. It’s trying to actually make sure that we can all co-exist in a way that makes this a better community for all in Kansas City.”
City officials say more changes are coming to Troost Avenue as part of that ongoing commitment to safety.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
