Official: West Dodge Expressway

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:15 pm

Let's just call it The Dodgerstate

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:22 pm

pkiphd wrote:Have we gotten on here an official response why W. Dodge does not have a Highway/Freeway designation?

Well it will be hwy 6 and the lower part will be called west dodge road, but nothing along the lines of interstate. I think it will when its finished though.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:31 pm

It will be interesting to see how they will draw the overlap on future maps. They don’t even show Dodge as an unlimited access facility all ready

so I wonder how two surface streets will look…

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:30 pm

That's because Dodge isn't an unlimited access facility.

Unlimited access would imply that Dodge is completely unsignaled/uncontrolled at intersections or interchanges with cross traffic. Freeways are considered to be limited access roadways because overpasses and ramps control the flow of the intersecting streets' cross traffic.

Once the maps get updated, it will probably have a freeway overlap over a surface street... maybe something like how collector/distributor freeways are drawn ala the I-90/I-94 overlap in Chicago.

The reason Dodge doesn't have an Interstate designation is because it is below Interstate standards. Next time you drive down it, notice how cramped it feels -- the shoulders aren't quite as wide as Interstate ones (which are something like 12 feet or so). Some of Dodge's entrance/exit ramps are not more than a fourth-of-a-mile apart, and I think there might be a minimum requirement for spacing between interchanges, too. As for why it isn't shown as a freeway, it probably has something to do with it being substandard enough to not be considered a freeway like the Kennedy (which is substandard in its own right), although that's just my guess.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:18 pm

So when they get done with all 600miles will any of it have an interstate designation?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:33 pm

They might just start calling it the West Freeway. We already have the North and South (maybe CB will get an East one with that area near the CB airport). I was back in Omaha toady for a bit and when I was going past Center on 680 it looked so busy that it, and maybe other major streets west of 680, might have elevated expressways too. There aren't any major north/south or east/west routes in that part of the city. I couldn't/wouldn't want to deal with it everyday.

Asten · Post by **Asten** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:23 pm

DTO Luv wrote:They might just start calling it the West Freeway. We already have the North and South (maybe CB will get an East one with that area near the CB airport). I was back in Omaha toady for a bit and when I was going past Center on 680 it looked so busy that it, and maybe other major streets west of 680, might have elevated expressways too. There aren't any major north/south or east/west routes in that part of the city. I couldn't/wouldn't want to deal with it everyday.

CB has an airport? Why?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 4:03 pm

To fly to Omaha of course.

There are quite a few little airports in Omaha. The North Omaha airport, the Millard airport, and the CB airport. Heck even Nebraska City has an airport.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:18 pm

Asten wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:They might just start calling it the West Freeway. We already have the North and South (maybe CB will get an East one with that area near the CB airport). I was back in Omaha toady for a bit and when I was going past Center on 680 it looked so busy that it, and maybe other major streets west of 680, might have elevated expressways too. There aren't any major north/south or east/west routes in that part of the city. I couldn't/wouldn't want to deal with it everyday.
CB has an airport? Why?

I remember quite a while back an airplane mistook the runway for Eppley and landed it in CB. It aparently barely made the landing and they couldn't get the plane off on that short of a runway so they had to strip it down to basically nothing and reconstruct it somewere else.

guy4omaha · Post by **guy4omaha** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:52 pm

pkiphd wrote:
One thing they need to reconstruct is those two loops on the west side of the Dodge I-680 interchange. It blows goat trying to get off their everyday!!! I just want to pull out my fiddy when I approach it. It’s hard to believe they left it like that for such an elaborate complex.

I really don't know if I agree or disagree with your points. I just had to stop and admire your poetry. E.g. "blows goat" and "pull out my fiddy". Now I have a mission. I am going to be on the stakeout just waiting for the chance to use these phrases in a conversation. Let's see, tomorrow, I will be at church. .. no I probably won't use it there. How about later at my son's lacrosse game..... No I probably will scare the other parents. They won't want me blowing my goat or pulling my fiddy around their children. Let's see Monday I am going to KC with a bunch a guys in a van to the Royals game... yeah surely after a few beers at the tailgaters, there will be an opening for this poetry. Before this was just a ballgame, but now I can't wait.

Thanks for the inspiration pkiphd.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:03 pm

I really don't know if I agree or disagree with your points. I just had to stop and admire your poetry. E.g. "blows goat" and "pull out my fiddy". Now I have a mission. I am going to be on the stakeout just waiting for the chance to use these phrases in a conversation. Let's see, tomorrow, I will be at church. .. no I probably won't use it there. How about later at my son's lacrosse game..... No I probably will scare the other parents. They won't want me blowing my goat or pulling my fiddy around their children. Let's see Monday I am going to KC with a bunch a guys in a van to the Royals game... yeah surely after a few beers at the tailgaters, there will be an opening for this poetry. Before this was just a ballgame, but now I can't wait.

Thanks for the inspiration pkiphd.
_________________
One of the proud I-29ers!!!

Your so kind, thanks for the kind words I didn’t know I was so poetic. Although I don’t really have a fifty caliber so I hope no one calls my bluff. LOL

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:05 pm

Hey aren't you jumping the gun on the concealed weapons bill.

That's ok. Lots of people in my family have guns.

Me-9
Grandma-Colt 45 bedroom, some sort of pistol in the living room
Aunt- Street sweeper
Cousin- She prefers shanks but has a little girl gun.

omaja · Post by **omaja** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:10 pm

pkiphd wrote:So when they get done with all 600miles will any of it have an interstate designation?

I've heard a number of people mention this extended freeway, but I've never been able to find any information on it... where did it come from?

OhioStreetKid · Post by **OhioStreetKid** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:32 pm

For some time, the state of Nebraska has had a goal of connecting, through expressways and freeways, communities over 10,000 people to the interstate. The freeway we know as West Dodge Road would connect Fremont and eventually Schuyler and Columbus to the interstate.

zippy · Post by **zippy** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:12 am

West Dodge Road and Dodge Street coexist from about 79th to 84th.

Not so!!! West Dodge Road is the name of the diagonal bit of road that drifts north to co-align with Cass, but the pavement that continues straight up the hill (between Methodist and Children's hospitals) is called Dodge St.

zippy

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:34 am

zippy... that would be West Dodge Rd and Dodge St co-existing.

omahastylee459 · Post by **omahastylee459** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:04 pm

it will be funny when giving directions
"take dodge street to west dodge road, then get off on the dodge expressway, and end up back on west dodge road."

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:17 pm

The project does not seem to be following the year by year plans on the web. So does anyone know when they will start working on the south viaduct? They sure got the north side done with the quickness. I would just love it if they got the rest of Dodge done over by the West Roads.

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:44 pm

its been taking forever to finish that bridge over regency pkwy.

as for the exwy, my guess is that they are trying to get the wb viaduct done so they can move the lanes on dodge north b/c they did asphalt work there last week. this summer, it looks like wb dodge will go under the viaduct at about 122nd and curve around the north side of the expwy, just like how ground level dodge will look when everything is completed. so once the lanes are pushed north, they will haul |expletive| on the south side and the eb viaduct.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:52 pm

Last time I drove by it looked to me as if they had already built a couple of new supports up at 120th for the EB bridge... and had a form set for another.

I can't recall if this was mentioned... has everyone noticed the apparent 'test coloring' of part of one of the supports on the south side of Dodge by the creek?

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:59 pm

yeah one of the piers just west of the creek is white about 15 feet up. would that be a primer before the paint goes on?

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:01 am

I'm mostly color blind... but I thought it was more of a tan color.

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:03 am

i might be colorblind too. i thought it was white, but i could be wrong.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:46 pm

4-14-2005
12 Noon CDT

CONCRETE WAS BEING POURED!!!

When I was driving to school today the first concrete was being poured on the deck of the west bound bridge right by the First National Bank building. I am going to look at http://www.hawkins1.com/expressway and see if I can see anything on the web cam.

UNOstudent

yeah one of the piers just west of the creek is white about 15 feet up. would that be a primer before the paint goes on?

I hope its primer white would look white for about 2 months.

jhuston

Last time I drove by it looked to me as if they had already built a couple of new supports up at 120th for the EB bridge... and had a form set for another.

I counted 8 today 4 on each side of 120th st.

I believe that all of the west bound supports are finished west of the papio creek except one. They have also started on the west bound interchange around 108th st.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 3:04 pm

I emailed http://www.wowt.com and the web cam will show the west dodge expressway from 3 until 4

mchine73 · Post by **mchine73** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 3:58 pm

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:38 pm

That's an AWESOME picture!!! I saw the concrete pumper doin its thing while taking my wife to work. Exxxcellent!

Post by **Coyote** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 6:00 pm

WOW

This is great!

Post by **Brad** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 11:07 pm

I was happy with wowt's quick responce. I emailed them and asked if they yould turn the camera to the expressway, they replied quickly and said from 3 to 4 but at 4 they would have to turn it for the news.

Thanks WOWT

Post by **Coyote** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:38 pm

Dodge St. taken this evening (4/15/05)

And another one:

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:53 pm

I'm fascinated by watching this project. Great shots Coyote! What was the vantage point, Crown Plaza?

Post by **Coyote** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 8:17 pm

almighty_tuna wrote:I'm fascinated by watching this project. Great shots Coyote! What was the vantage point, Crown Plaza?

Right you are. I think it is the only good viewing place for this project unless you can get into the FNB building.

michaelsjewel · Post by **michaelsjewel** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:39 pm

so far it reminds me of another world lol - by the way this is pieces - since for some reason i cannot log in under pieces

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:00 pm

I noticed they shifted the westbound lanes... are they getting ready to install a median?

papiostud · Post by **papiostud** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 3:51 pm

I'm lookin foreward to this expressway too but man the way you guys are talkin as if they're building a 50 story tower in downtown....it's just an expressway...

Post by **Coyote** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 3:54 pm

um - it is an elevated expressway excuse me.

the1wags · Post by **the1wags** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:01 pm

pkiphd wrote:I noticed they shifted the westbound lanes... are they getting ready to install a median?

They have to shift the lanes to the north to make room for constuction of the piers for the south (eastbound) structure. Expect to start seeing work in front of the Burger King area soon.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:14 pm

They have to shift the lanes to the north to make room for constuction of the piers for the south (eastbound) structure. Expect to start seeing work in front of the Burger King area soon.

Yay!

The NDR’s response to my query about the two west loops was.

I am afraid I do not have any good news for you about the second
part of your question. The two loops on the west side of the interchange do remain in place. The problem you described of merging through traffic is the major problem with cloverleaf interchange design. The reasons why the loops in the other side were removed was because the traffic movement from I-680 Northbound to West Dodge Road was the largest traffic movement in the interchange, no right of way was needed and directional ramps were compatible with the West Dodge Freeway. The replacing of the west loops or loop would require major right of way from a highly developed Old Mill area.
There is only one lane entering I-680 southbound south of W. Dodge Road. The loop ramp lane with W. Dodge Road westbound to I-680
southbound traffic merges into the southbound collector-distrubtor lane prior to merging with I-680.

All I have to say is NO $HIT for most of that response. And the ROW that would be needed to eliminate the loops is B.S. they are just too cheep to build more bridges…

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 10:28 pm

One thing I can say for this project, is that since Dodge Expressway will be able to cary WAY more traffic, I'd really like to see higher building densities in this area.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 9:24 pm

Go back and look at the map on page one. When it is ALL done everything is going to work great. It will just be a headache for a few more years.