The start of football season means traffic jams near high schools all around the state, but this year that may not be the case near Harrisburg. The new school and field are open for the year and to keep pedestrians, students, and fans safe, a new stop light has been installed.

It's a sign of the growing times in Harrisburg. Recently, the city installed its first stop light in front of the new high school.

“The biggest benefit will be when school is in session to control the traffic to and from, both in the morning and when they get out,” Harrisburg Mayor Reed Ramstad said.

The goal is to keep both drivers and pedestrians out of harms way.

With safety the main concern, the city wanted to ensure drivers become accustomed to the slower speed limits on this road. That's why they dropped the speed from 55 to 45; it's now 35 miles per hour.

While the city looks at the stop lights as a positive change, those who drive through them everyday aren't convinced.

“They make the traffic way slower in the morning and if you are running late, it makes you later,” Harrisburg High School Sophomore Lexi Weis said.

“I'm not really a big fan of it because it seems like traffic goes a lot slower with the whole thing having to turn into traffic especially when you are going east into Harrisburg,” Harrisburg High School Sophomore Sadie Jensen said.

Outside of school, the first football game is scheduled for Saturday night and city officials say between the stop lights and parking lots, it will be easier for everyone to get in and out.

Ramstad says right now, there are no plans to add any more stop lights in the future. Police officers will be at the intersection before and after the game Saturday night to make sure everything goes smoothly.