The city of Mercer Island made it official on Aug. 6 by closing on the purchase of the uninhabitable property at the bustling intersection of Southeast 40th Street and Island Crest Way.

Using money from the city’s street fund, the price tag for the right-of-way acquisition sat at $1.175 million before closing costs, which brought the total amount to $1.193 million, according to a previous Reporter story in July.

Improving sight lines and safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians is paramount to the city with the purchase of the boarded-up and vacant residential property.

The city plans to demolish the home and clear the site at a time to be determined, according to the city this month.

“It’s a critical intersection for the city. All credit to the staff for the long-range vision of what the future improvements of that intersection might be,” councilmember Salim Nice said at council’s July 6 meeting.

At the July 6 meeting, council approved a resolution to authorize the city manager or chief of administration to sign the purchase and sale agreement, in addition to giving the nod to a budget-amending ordinance to appropriate funds for the acquisition of the property.

According to the city, there have been 12 accidents at the intersection in the last five years. Of the dozen, the most severe was one minor-injury accident.