And my prediction will be that on Husker football Saturdays, it will still be bumper-to-bumper traffic. http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/I-80-Construction-Almost-Done-230641901.html
Not too far from me.
They have been picking away at that project for a decade, happy it is FINALLY done.
Curiously, however, I-80 east and west bound is throttled down to 2 lanes in Omaha at the I-480/Kennedy Expressway interchange. It's a congenital defect. Before the last interchange rebuild, I-80 was ONE (!!!!) lane both ways in that stupid interchange.
I've often thought a little connector from I-80 at Underwood Iowa to the I-29/680 interchange at Crescent Iowa would get quite a bit of cross country traffic out of the Omaha downtown area. Even better, extending I-680 at Loveland Iowa west to Fremont Nebraska and then south to Lincoln Nebraska would be even better.
Just don't ask me to pay for it.
The Platteview Road project across Sarpy county Nebraska is much closer to being realized, and will have a good traffic count reduction in the Omaha metro, but it will be Kansas City to all points west traffic shunted from downtown, not the cross country traffic.
Quote from: DandyDan on November 06, 2013, 08:01:49 AM
And my prediction will be that on Husker football Saturdays, it will still be bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Well, yeah, it would be a really bad use of funds to expand the highway to meet a traffic load that only happens six times a year or so. At an Oklahoma DOT public meeting dealing with I-35 widening in Norman, someone brought up OU game traffic, and the rep said something along the lines of ODOT not taking game traffic into consideration because when the equations are run with OU game day traffic levels they recommend something absurd like ten lanes on every road in the city.
Quote from: Jardine on November 06, 2013, 10:48:31 AM
I've often thought a little connector from I-80 at Underwood Iowa to the I-29/680 interchange at Crescent Iowa would get quite a bit of cross country traffic out of the Omaha downtown area. Even better, extending I-680 at Loveland Iowa west to Fremont Nebraska and then south to Lincoln Nebraska would be even better.
I've thought both of those would be good ideas, but I believe topography may get in the way of both and a hypothetical I-680 extension west of Loveland may also run into the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant.
Quote
The Platteview Road project across Sarpy county Nebraska is much closer to being realized, and will have a good traffic count reduction in the Omaha metro, but it will be Kansas City to all points west traffic shunted from downtown, not the cross country traffic.
I know I would use that whenever I feel like going to KC and points south along I-29. Actually, the future US 34 is being used at the moment from the end of the northbound entrance/exit ramps to Harlan Lewis Road (aka the back road to Bellevue, as an old buddy of mine used to call it).
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 08, 2013, 03:41:21 AM
Quote from: DandyDan on November 06, 2013, 08:01:49 AM
And my prediction will be that on Husker football Saturdays, it will still be bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Well, yeah, it would be a really bad use of funds to expand the highway to meet a traffic load that only happens six times a year or so. At an Oklahoma DOT public meeting dealing with I-35 widening in Norman, someone brought up OU game traffic, and the rep said something along the lines of ODOT not taking game traffic into consideration because when the equations are run with OU game day traffic levels they recommend something absurd like ten lanes on every road in the city.
Of course, the truth be told, there is much Omaha-Lincoln commuter traffic and vice versa, not to mention all the truck traffic.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 08, 2013, 03:41:21 AM
Quote from: DandyDan on November 06, 2013, 08:01:49 AM
And my prediction will be that on Husker football Saturdays, it will still be bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Well, yeah, it would be a really bad use of funds to expand the highway to meet a traffic load that only happens six times a year or so. At an Oklahoma DOT public meeting dealing with I-35 widening in Norman, someone brought up OU game traffic, and the rep said something along the lines of ODOT not taking game traffic into consideration because when the equations are run with OU game day traffic levels they recommend something absurd like ten lanes on every road in the city.
Likewise, the same could be said of I-85 and I-40 in the Triangle, with UNC, Duke and NC State close by.
Quote from: Jardine on November 06, 2013, 10:48:31 AM
Curiously, however, I-80 east and west bound is throttled down to 2 lanes in Omaha at the I-480/Kennedy Expressway interchange. It's a congenital defect. Before the last interchange rebuild, I-80 was ONE (!!!!) lane both ways in that stupid interchange.
NDOR is apparently looking at a partial fix:
http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/projects/omaha-i80-126-96/7-18-13-meeting-handout.pdf (http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/projects/omaha-i80-126-96/7-18-13-meeting-handout.pdf)
Quote from: JardineI've often thought a little connector from I-80 at Underwood Iowa to the I-29/680 interchange at Crescent Iowa would get quite a bit of cross country traffic out of the Omaha downtown area. Even better, extending I-680 at Loveland Iowa west to Fremont Nebraska and then south to Lincoln Nebraska would be even better.
It's only six miles longer to use the whole length of I-680 versus I-80 through Omaha, far short of the distance that would start to justify a cut-off to I-80 near Underwood.
The Omaha beltway study had an option that would taken a freeway west from the northern I-680/I-29 interchange to about Arlington then south to I-80, but it was rejected in favor of a closer-in loop.
Quote from: JardineThe Platteview Road project across Sarpy county Nebraska is much closer to being realized, and will have a good traffic count reduction in the Omaha metro, but it will be Kansas City to all points west traffic shunted from downtown, not the cross country traffic.
Kansas City to I-80 traffic should not even be in the Omaha area, but already bypassing on the Highway 2 expressway.
Quote from: Revive 755 on November 08, 2013, 11:27:44 PM
Quote from: JardineI've often thought a little connector from I-80 at Underwood Iowa to the I-29/680 interchange at Crescent Iowa would get quite a bit of cross country traffic out of the Omaha downtown area. Even better, extending I-680 at Loveland Iowa west to Fremont Nebraska and then south to Lincoln Nebraska would be even better.
It's only six miles longer to use the whole length of I-680 versus I-80 through Omaha, far short of the distance that would start to justify a cut-off to I-80 near Underwood.
Yeah, and a cutoff at Underwood would save more like 2-3 miles over current I-680. Pointless as hell.