KatherineDietz

The bell rings in 20 minutes. Your drive should take only 15. It seems like there’s plenty of time to get to school, but construction has other plans, delaying arrivals and creating trouble. 

Streets and bridges in Omaha are being updated to allow for better traffic flow and smoother drives, but the long process of construction is slowing traffic to a halt. 

Maple Street is one of many streets under construction, shifting traffic to one lane from 67th to 70th Street and slowing down commutes. Construction is also happening along I-80 and the bridges above Dodge Street. 

Of 145 students surveyed, 34.4% say that their drive has been impacted by construction around Omaha. This construction can add 10 minutes to students’ drives, including the drive of senior Madeline Iske.

“It adds an extra 10 to 15 minutes,” Iske said. “That may not sound like a whole lot but when your drive is already 30 to 35 minutes, it adds up.”

Construction can go on for months at a time For instance,  the construction on bridges, which started in the spring and has lasted throughout the summer and isn’t projected to be finished until October. 

“I’ve noticed it a lot more recently, and it always changes,” Iske said. 

“Seeing a road under construction a few months or even weeks after we thought they had just finished construction is frustrating because we were under the assumption that the problem was fixed,” she said. 

Senior Ella Visty also deals with significant additions to her drive due to construction. 

“Some days, it could take 50 minutes because of the backups,” Visty said. 

Traffic was especially slow when roads were down to one lane, especially if there were car crashes. 

“Sometimes there would be cones out, but no construction was happening. It was really frustrating,” Visty said. 

The issue for most is transparency, since many people simply don’t know why the streets are being worked on. For example, most of the entrances to Dodge are under construction to modernize them, make them safer for drivers and pedestrians, and safeguard the road from future damage. Much of the extended construction on 72nd Street and Dodge Street is specifically on curbs and lights, which will allow for quicker drives in the future. However, the current drive is much slower than people expect. 

In places with extended periods of construction, people become frustrated due to the seeming lack of progress. However, it is important to note that most construction is documented in the City of Omaha and the State of Nebraska websites.