OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As Omaha has expanded westward, traffic has as well. To help handle the volume, the City of Omaha has had plans in the works to widen a portion of 120th Street. Thanks to a grant, the project will begin ahead of schedule.
According to the City of Omaha's Public Works Department website, the project which was scheduled to begin in 2023 will now begin in 2020:
"The City of Omaha has been awarded BUILD Transportation Grant funds for the project. This will allow the project to begin construction in 2020 rather waiting until 2023 to begin this regionally significant project.
The Grant will provide 80% of dollars needed to complete the project. Without the Grant, there was inadequate funding for the project in 2023 and the project could have slipped further into the future and created more uncertainty and increased cost. The City CIP currently support the local 20% that will be needed for construction phase.
(Updated July 12, 2019)
The City of Omaha has submitted an application for BUILD Transportation Grant funds that would allow this project to initiate construction in 2020 as the City had planned in the 2018-2023 CIP.
A revised project schedule associated with our application and a strong showing of support from various stakeholders were submitted with our application to US Department of Transportation. The amount of funds request in the BUILD Transportation Grant equals 80% of the estimated 2020 construction cost of $21.2 million. The City CIP currently supports the local 20% that will be needed for construction and construction engineering."
The project will include:
- Reconstructing adjacent roads and drives to match the improvements
- Constructing sidewalks, curb ramps, and a trail
- Installing new street lighting, traffic signals, and communications infrastructure
- Building retaining walls
- Installing drainage facilities (storm sewer)
- Widening the bridge over the West Maple Creek/Ditch
- Replacing the bridge over the Big Papillion Creek
The city provided the following infographic with a project timeline:
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said the following on Facebook on Wednesday evening:
