OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The sound of traffic flying by on 30th street is disturbing businesses and residents in the north Omaha community.
"Semi-trucks are doing just as fast most of the time as the cars," said Roger Bennett, owner of Rogers Hair Design.
For Bennett, speed is a big concern.
"I am just worried mostly about my older customers that have a really slow reflex time because it just happens so fast," Bennett said.
Bennett also lives there, experiencing the noise and speed, constantly.
"Yeah, the big trucks, especially the cattle trucks, and things that come by, shake the house, quite a bit," Bennett said.
In a final report Friday, the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) released feasible options to help traffic, but it's important to note, nothing will immediately come from these options.
"Nothing has been designed, this is all just sort of a feasibility level study and the next steps would be dependent on elected officials," said Court Barber, transportation planner for MAPA.
It puts an emphasis on safety.
"A lot of it comes down to safety, but it is also about making sure that we are moving goods and people efficiently," Barber said.
After speaking to community members, business owners, and companies like OPPD, MUD and many others, four options were drawn up.
They include improvement to the 30th street corridor. Creating a new corridor along what is roughly 28th Avenue. And two options for a potential Missouri River crossing bridge, which could alleviate truck traffic from neighborhoods.
"Doing something along 30th street seems like kind of a no-brainer, it makes a lot of sense, the other options are expensive. The 28th avenue option, it's not quite as expensive as the bridges, but the bridges are quite, quite expensive," Barber said.
These different options range in price from $6.5 million to just under $400 million.
"We are open to speaking to anybody who is interested in learning more about it," Barber said.
Meanwhile, Bennett said, "If they could just slow it down, that would make a huge difference."
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