Omaha eyes roundabout to fix crash-prone 42nd and Fontenelle intersection

OMAHA, Neb. — A busy north Omaha intersection that has seen a high number of crashes may soon be reshaped to make the area safer.

The traffic lights at 42nd Street and Fontenelle Boulevard may soon be replaced with a roundabout, according to the city's Public Works Department. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 35 crashes at the intersection, according to a study conducted by the city. Officials believe a roundabout would reduce the number of crashes.

The New Covenant Church of God in Christ has stood at the intersection for 16 years. Its pastor, Terry Brewer, told me speeding has been a consistent issue, and crashes make it difficult for neighbors to attend services.

"Whatever the accident happens, depending on what it is, the police always put a yellow tape around it. So that blocks all of us off from coming in our parking lot," Brewer said.

Brewer told me he has personally seen at least 30 crashes at the intersection. When I asked him when he last remembered seeing a crash there, he said it was last year.

"What was your first reaction when you noticed that one?" I asked.

"Here we go again," Brewer said, laughing.

Brewer says he has noticed speeding being an issue around the whole neighborhood. It's a sentiment shared by Carol Moss, who owns the Urban Acres Horse Rescue, located on Sorensen Parkway just half a mile from 42nd and Fontenelle.

"They used to have a patrol car that would sit in a parking lot out there and they had a speed trap and that helped, but it's been a while since we've seen anything like that," Moss said.

Moss says she has had incidents where speeding drivers crashed into her property, and that she worries about the safety of her animals.

"Luckily none of them have ever gotten hurt, but you know it's the thing I dread, my phone ringing in the middle of the night, and something happening like that," Moss said.

City officials said the project has been approved, and that construction will begin in 2031 after a design is approved.

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