- The Florence street-calming project was sparked after a crash into a local daycare prompted safety concerns.
- The project includes new signage, lane narrowing, and medians to reduce speeding and improve safety.
- While residents call it a “victory,” some business owners argue it could disrupt traffic flow along 30th Street.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Work is officially underway in Florence on a new street-calming project designed to slow down traffic and remind drivers that the speed limit along this stretch is 30 miles per hour.
The effort follows nearly a year of advocacy from neighbors like Jacque Casey, who pushed for safety improvements after a car crashed into her daycare.
“That was the catalyst for sure,” Casey said. “Sometimes that’s what it takes to open your eyes — to how bad things really were because we all go on living.”
The project includes new speed limit signs, lane narrowing, road markings, and center medians aimed at reducing speeds and improving pedestrian safety.
“I feel it’s a victory,” Casey added. “When you speak and they listen — and actually do what they say they’re going to do — it’s a big win for this little community.”
Councilmember Pete Festersen said in September that the project stems from the city’s Vision Zero plan and the Public Works Department’s focus on preventing serious crashes.
“We’re confident this will help here — and we’re going to measure it to make sure it does,” Festersen said.Still, not everyone is convinced. Some business owners are concerned the changes could create new traffic issues.
“I think this is a dumb idea,” said William Steiner. “It’ll basically eliminate cross-street traffic — people won’t be able to merge into long lines on 30th Street.”Steiner believes a stoplight would have been a more affordable and effective solution.
“They could spend a whole lot less putting in a streetlight here — a whole lot less than what it’s going to take to reconstruct,” he said.
City and state leaders told KMTV that adding a traffic light would require further studies and approval from multiple agencies.
Casey, meanwhile, hopes this project is just the beginning of broader improvements across Omaha.
“I think that would be a stop-all for us — and then I’ll leave them alone… we’ll leave them alone,” she said with a laugh.The Florence street-calming project is expected to wrap up within the next two weeks.
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