Thursday is the day that thousands will get their commutes rerouted as a West Omaha thoroughfare is getting bigger.
Currently, an estimated 18,000 vehicles use 168th Street each day and the demand is increasing, the heavily used roadway is expected to have 1.5 times that number of vehicles on it per day by 2040.
Starting at 9 a.m., roughly between Maple and Dodge Streets, will be closed for widening. The project will affect drivers for nearly nine months. The street will go from two lanes to four and add a media for left-turn lanes.
Also Thursday, Blondo Street between 171st and Dora Hamann Parkway will be closed for about six months for improvement.
Todd Pfitzer of Omaha Public Works said these roads are closed now because 168th Street has to be available when work begins on 180th Street and the city does not want any scenario where 156th, 168th and 180th are all under construction at the same time.
