WEST OMAHA, NE. — Residents of the Banyan Hills neighborhood near 173rd and Pacific streets in west Omaha say a nearby construction project is creating traffic and environmental problems.
Just up the street at 175th and Pacific, crews are building a new apartment complex that will include 30 townhouses and 90 apartments.
Construction crews have been parking along the shoulder of Pacific Street up against the backyards of homes on Pierce Circle, despite "no parking on the grass" signs posted in the area.
Jose "David" Sandoval, whose backyard sits adjacent to where crews have been parking and who has lived on Pierce Circle for 10 years, said the activity is already affecting the surrounding environment.
"All the things they are starting to do on the side of the road (is) degrading the dirt and the water that runs," Sandoval said.
Three neighbors on Pierce with construction crew cars parked along their backyard fences told KMTV they don't mind the crews parking along their fences, saying the workers are just doing their job.
However, those neighbors identified construction traffic as the biggest problem, along with concerns that mud from the site could wash down the hill and make Pacific Street dangerous to drive on.
Sandoval said traffic was one of his first concerns when construction began.
"The first thing that came to my mind was actually (that) there was going to be more traffic that is going to start to make Pacific Street harder to drive (through)," Sandoval said.
Some neighbors suggested widening Pacific Street as a potential solution, but Sandoval said that option comes with its own consequences.
"Yes and no, because the other thing that has been said (in) the first communication with the county is that they might need to take away part of our property just to widen the road," Sandoval said. "That's going to take from our property value."
The City of Omaha does have plans to widen Pacific Street.
According to Omaha Public Works, the city is currently in its design phase, which runs through 2027.
Final designs are set to begin in 2028, with construction scheduled to start in 2032.
