OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In 2024, there were three car accidents at 186th and Q Street. In 2025, there have been four, with three occurring in the past two days. Douglas County could install a traffic signal in next 5 years.
- "As soon as this Q street gets widened out to 204th, we will do a fresh study. We do fully anticipate that there will be a signal at 189th or 186th in the next 5 years," Douglas County Engineer Todd Pfitzer said.
- Rick Zaporowski has lived in the Cattail Creek neighborhood for over 20 years and says the intersection has become increasingly dangerous.
- "I'm not surprised about the pedestrian accidents mainly because there's not really a good crosswalk to get from one neighborhood to the next," Zaporowski said.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors of the Cattail Creek neighborhood are calling for immediate safety improvements at 186th and Q Street after three separate crashes occurred at the intersection in less than 48 hours this week, injuring two pedestrians.
Rick Zaporowski has lived in the Cattail Creek neighborhood for over 20 years and says the intersection has become increasingly dangerous.
"The main difficulty is getting out of the neighborhood because there's no stop lights on either of the entrances along Q Street," Zaporowski said.
The Q Street widening project was supposed to improve traffic flow in the area, but neighbor Erie Safford says it has only made conditions worse.
"Now there is a tremendous amount of traffic that comes through that is very fast paced," Safford said.
Douglas County Sheriff data reveals a troubling trend at the intersection. In 2024, there were three car accidents at 186th and Q Street. In 2025, there have been four accidents, with three occurring in just the past two days.
"I'm not surprised about the pedestrian accidents mainly because there's not really a good crosswalk to get from one neighborhood to the next," Zaporowski said.
Douglas County has previously studied the possibility of installing a traffic light at the intersection. Traffic studies were conducted in 2014, 2016 and 2019, but conditions at the time did not meet federal guidelines for warranting a signal.
However, Douglas County Engineer Todd Pfitzer says a traffic light could be installed within the next five years.
"As soon as this Q street gets widened out to 204th, we will do a fresh study. We do fully anticipate that there will be a signal at 189th or 186th in the next 5 years," Pfitzer said.
For some neighbors like Safford, five years feels too long to wait for safety improvements.
"It's just a matter of, you know, short time. People are going to lose their lives and especially pedestrians," Safford said.
While the timeline concerns some neighbors, others like Zaporowski are willing to accept the county's projection.
"I'll take the next 5 years. So the sooner the better on getting a light at one of those entrances would be great," Zaporowski said.
