OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Barricades and detours—we see them all over town. Construction leads to traffic tie-ups, which are not just a headache for drivers but also for neighbors who live along these routes.
- 84th Street has become a popular choice as bridge work continues on 72nd Street.
- Neighbors like Anne Hurley are having to find a different way out of the neighborhood or wait for a while on 84th Street.
- The city says the current plan is to re-open the east side of the 72nd Street bridge around May 30.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Construction on a bridge on 72nd Street has forced drivers to find alternate routes to go north and south, making 84th Street a popular choice ever since that work started in January.
"It's a hundred fold what it used to be," said Anne Hurley, a Westgate neighbor. "They don't have any concern for the lights; they just hurry up. There are a few people who stop and wait, but they get honked at, so the rest of them just sit right in the intersection, so you can't get across, and there is no kind of traffic control."
Neighbors like Hurley are having to find a different way out of the neighborhood or wait for a while.
Reporter Molly Hudson tested it out; she drove from Grover Street in the Westgate neighborhood to F Street. It took just over six minutes around 3:15 Wednesday afternoon. And neighbors say they have seen it back up to L Street and Center Street.
"84th is a busy street regardless, even if it is not during rush hour, and if somebody got hurt there, I don't know how they would get to them," Hurley said.
The city says the current plan is to re-open the east side of the 72nd Street bridge around May 30, allowing for two southbound lanes and one northbound lane of traffic. Hurley hopes that will relieve some traffic on 84th Street.
