OMAHA, Nebraska – The City of Omaha closed the 72nd Street bridge for much-needed repairs, and some of the 80,000 vehicles that cross it each day ended up at the intersection of 84th and F streets, causing a significant increase in traffic.
A video First Alert 6 shot was taken last week around 3 p.m., around the time Taylor Zick finished her shift at the Kolache Factory.
“I normally take a right out of here to get to the interstate, can’t go that way they turned that right lane into a turn only lane, so you’ve got a whole buildup of traffic back there, and no one will let you in so I go left to the L Street,” says Zick.
The change of direction added 15 minutes to Zick’s already 20-30-minute drive to Bennington. She believes that longer-holding traffic signals would save her time on her commute home.
“If they’re longer lights and more people flowing through,” Zick said.
Terry Erwin drives a big truck. He told First Alert 6 that he didn’t have enough time to get his truck and trailer through the 84th and F intersection.
“I understand them closing off 72nd, that bridge, it needed to be replaced, but if you’re going to detour the traffic to 84th you’ve got to give us time to turn,” Erwin told reporters.
“This morning I was at that intersection headed west on F, I was the first one in line when the light turned green, time I was half way through the intersection, it was red.”
Erwin mentioned a traffic light, which First Alert 6 timed. In about 12 seconds, we went from green to yellow, then red.
Erwin stated that the big rigs require more time to pass through the intersection.
“If you’re going to detour that much traffic, all those major trucking companies, Thermo King, Nash Finch, and all those other companies over there, they’re all being detoured to 84th and F right now. “We don’t have time to turn safely,” Erwin explained.
City officials say they have adjusted the timing of traffic signals and will continue to monitor the area.
“The system is monitored by our traffic engineers. We have a number of cameras at major intersections, and we monitor them and conduct field checks to see how they are functioning,” Rowser said. “We make really continuous adjustments in the timing of the signals to make sure we have as best of function as we can.”
Austin Rowser is Omaha’s Assistant Director of Public Works. He claimed that the 84th and F intersection is congested even though it is not one of the project’s detour routes.
Rowser stated that the primary goal is to keep traffic from backing up onto the ramp leading to Interstate 80.
“If people can find a different route, perhaps using 60th Street or another option, that will be available to them as well, but there are a lot of trucks.” “It’s a heavy truck area,” Rowser explained.
“There may be some delays on those legs as well to make sure that the primary goal of not backing that south bound traffic up into I-80 is met.”
There are two posted detours: 84th and 60th streets, and L street to 72nd.
Rowser stated that depending on what Omaha traffic engineers see in the future, the timing of the traffic signals at 84th and F may be adjusted further.
