Omaha and Lincoln about to grow a little closer...

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 6:56 pm

Well that's cool since Waverly is right on the interstate. It will help making us a two-headed metro as well.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:20 pm

Yep.. we need to start filling in towards our upcoming amusement park.

People will soon be calling us Sprawlanta. The 80 mile metro from West Lincoln to CB. Sounds good.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:27 pm

All the growth doesn't need to go btwn the two cities. It's nice to grow from within too.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:30 pm

I'm growing more and more shocked that people are still interested in moving further and further away from the urban core, be it Omaha's or Lincoln's.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:30 pm

I was only kidding.. this is positive news for Waverly though.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:35 pm

Swift wrote:I'm growing more and more shocked that people are still interested in moving further and further away from the urban core, be it Omaha's or Lincoln's.

35 miles from west Omaha and 20 from DTL? Lincoln would start to fare better off but I still think a mojority of people won't want to make that trip. Gas is going up. Maybe if Waverly doubles in size they will get another Shakers

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:37 pm

Or at least put a Starbucks in Shakers.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:21 am

It's so funny that they have Waverly on Lincoln's street grid. 134th Street? Waverly is at 134th Street neer Lincoln just like it's on 385th Street near Omaha.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:16 am

I think this is a positive thing, too. Lincoln has been a model of controlled growth in Nebraska, and it's a great city for it, but I like the idea of developing the metro a little more around I-80. (Even if it means sprawling a little.) There's such an advantage being next to the freeway. You can get to downtown Lincoln much faster from Waverley than you can from southeast Lincoln even though the distance is about the same. Plus it will be nice to see a second Lancaster city break the 5,000 mark. This will be Lincoln's first real suburb.

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:55 am

The development around Iron Horse Golf Club in Ashland also has a lot of affluent households and large homes. It seems a couple more of these developments and then the infill of more services will bridge the gap between the two metros before too long.

projectman · Post by **projectman** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:49 pm

Ashland, Greenwood, Louisville and Waverly sound like the next generation of fast growing suburbs that begin the fill in between Omaha and Lincoln. It will definitely give the area the feel of a larger metropolitan area even if it isn't official.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:57 pm

From a perception standpoint, when I-80 is finished expanding to 6lanes it will also create a metro ambience.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:59 pm

I don't go on it very much. How many lanes will it have each way? 3 or 4?

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:52 pm

It will have 3 lanes each way. "Experts" claim that it will be over-capacity from the get-go but I don't buy it. I-80 carries a lot of traffic, but with 4 exits (soon to be 5 with the proposed 180th street exit) between 144thst and Waverly there isn't a lot of the typical congestion that one would see on a more urban stretch. So IMO it will have plenty of relative volume but be moving at a good clip and easy to traverse.

OmahaRules · Post by **OmahaRules** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:55 pm

watch out for cops they have been crazy lately when I've driven back to see some of my rental houses the cops have been out like crazy.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:25 am

10 years of construction for 2 extra lanes? They might as well have added 4. 3 lanes will be fine if people ever figure out how to drive. Slow traffic on the right, faster to the left. KC has 3 lanes pretty much everywhere but it moves fine becasue people follow that golden rule of driving that people hear seem to have never even heard of.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:38 am

The land of race car ya-yas....

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:35 pm

has 3 lanes pretty much everywhere but it moves fine becasue people follow that golden rule of driving that people hear seem to have never even heard of.

It is much worse out here on the east coast and the problem is compounded by left-hand exits (what a terrible idea)!

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 3:01 pm

I have a cousin in DC, where you are too, and she told me about left exits. I can't even imagine that. I have been to DC but must have not paid enough attentoin. Do you have a picture?

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:19 pm

How far are they on the lane addition project? Have they reached the Platte River, yet? Are they anywhere close?

Minneapolis Boy · Post by **Minneapolis Boy** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:42 pm

The eastbound section of 80 was/is most recently under construction. It stretches just about to the Platte River bridge and most - if not all - the way to 370. The westbound work has not started.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:48 pm

All the paving is done for EB80 from Ruff Rd east to Omaha but they are only allowing 2lanes nearest the outer shoulder. I have no idea why, except perhaps they are ensuring even wear since traffic was on the inner shoulder while the outer was being poured last year.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:08 pm

Has anyone ever seen Lincoln's news? They have it on here in Nebraska City and it's pretty amusing. It's like watching tv from the 1980's. The graphics and music are so outdated and cheesy. Omaha's Channel 7 has a Lincoln post or whatever it's called with Mike DiGiacamo so that's more of a reason why we are growing closer together.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:45 pm

Aaron (Streets) and I used to laugh at it when we were roommates at UNL.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:43 pm

There's sooooo much potential here... you can't stress it enough. I really do hope that the two cities can work together and do it the right way.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:50 pm

I wonder if more people start living between the two if Lincoln will get more of a business presence and a real DT? Something to think about.

OmahaRules · Post by **OmahaRules** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:48 pm

Lincolns news does that cover Grand Island and everything they seem to always talk about the western cities?

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:26 am

Yeah, Lincoln TV is kinda substandard. However of the two, KLKN is far worse. If you look at merely their website, its full of gimmicks and news stories weeks old, and even then its just the one paragraph teleprompter text.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:03 am

OmahaRules wrote:Lincolns news does that cover Grand Island and everything they seem to always talk about the western cities?

KOLN(Lincoln)/KRGI(Grand Island) is the CBS affiliate for the Tri-Cities. All the studio stuff is done in Lincoln, but there's a Grand Island bureau.

It's kind of ironic. Grand Island is the largest of the Tri-Cities, yet it is the only one that doesn't have a news studio of its own. The NBC affiliate is KHAS in Hastings and the ABC affiliate is in Kearney.

And you guys want to talk about chintzy. The KHAS studio looks like the stage for a high school magic show.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 3:11 pm

Swift wrote:Aaron (Streets) and I used to laugh at it when we were roommates at UNL.

HA! Yes!

michaelsjewel · Post by **michaelsjewel** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:34 pm

are you sure it isn't 4 on each side????

look @ it this way - i've traveled many times on it this past summer,,,,especially this past summer - and well - it has 4 lanes on just one side - with plenty of shoulder space - separated by a cement wall that has even it's own amt. of space for a smaller shoulder - what are they going to do with all that extra pavement if it's only 3 lanes in the end - but yet has enough room for 4-5 lanes if that middle separator on the one way was removed?????

i don't think 3 lanes will be enough - considering congestion is quite terrible during peak hours the way it is - and if omaha expands as rapidly as it has been - it's going to need the extra lane

Post by **nebugeater** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:46 pm

I drive it every day, sometimes more than once.

It is three lanes. What you are driving on on the E bound side is the Intersate and the sholders. There are gravel sholders added but the speed limit is reduced. When it is finished and both sides are open and complete the lanes will be re striped on the E bound ( Look at the W bound it is marked out) and there will be three lanes plus hard surfaced shoulders. Once this is in place the speed limitwill be back up.

Looks like they are ready to move the W bound onto the new pavement. Maybe as soon as tonight.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:49 pm

michaelsjewel wrote:i don't think 3 lanes will be enough - considering congestion is quite terrible during peak hours the way it is - and if omaha expands as rapidly as it has been - it's going to need the extra lane

Well, you ARE right. There was much discussion about this when the project started and technically the new 6-lane interstate will be at capacity by the time its done. Some were griping that we should just add a 4th lane while we're at it. Unfortunately there's a point where just adding another lane becomes pointless - think of a logarithmic curve; past a certain point you can go light years down the x-axis (think adding lanes) and there is little change in the value of Y (think traffic congestion). A third lane is *that* point. Naturally, when this project was getting planned, people realized this and so the idea of commuter rail between the cities started then as well. Maybe, oh, 5-6yrs ago? And THAT is a whole 'nother thread so I'll just leave it there.

Personally, I don't think it will be that big of a traffic conundrum (sp). Most of the traffic problems occur because of the challenge getting all those cars OFF the freeway. Just getting down the interstate, from point A->B isn't going to make things horribly backed up. heck, things aren't really that bad traffic-wise now anyway. My personal prediction is that we will see another limited access freeway solution from extreme west Omaha to North Lincoln, or US34 between US75 and Lincoln's East Bypass before I-80 is expanded again. But it will be a long, long ways off.

Harpoon · Post by **Harpoon** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:44 am

Whoever is saying that it will be at capacity when it opens is full of it. I drive on I-80 all the time, and even with the current 2 lanes in each direction it isn't congested until you get to the portion that is already 3 lanes east-west (Hwy 370). From there the traffic picks up a little bit, but it doesn't really get jammed until you get to 126th/Harrison. Then it gets terrible around L Street, but west of there it really isn't that bad.

michaelsjewel · Post by **michaelsjewel** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:47 am

we're talking about outside of omaha - the stretch between - omaha and lincoln - as far as more lanes go- traffic can be just as congested in the off lanes (to exit) - but also it allows for more speed traffic to bypass the congestion - that's the whole point to more lanes is for those that need to go farther distances not to have to slow down to extremes just b/c a few cars think it's funny to slow down and hang out in the SPEED LANE -

if it really were true that extra lanes don't help - then why do we have problems (SAY DOWNTOWN AREA ON I-80) when it shrinks to only 2 lanes???? extra lanes do help big time - omaha's got problems even in its own structure - but nothing as bad as chicago does - i was suprised chicago had barely any lanes on the interstate - omaha had more lol - but i did like the idea of EXPRESS LANES for rush hour times

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:13 am

michaelsjewel wrote:we're talking about outside of omaha - the stretch between - omaha and lincoln - as far as more lanes go- traffic can be just as congested in the off lanes (to exit) - but also it allows for more speed traffic to bypass the congestion - that's the whole point to more lanes is for those that need to go farther distances not to have to slow down to extremes just b/c a few cars think it's funny to slow down and hang out in the SPEED LANE -

What?! Please try again with punctuation, I'm having a hard time following your thoughts here.

michaelsjewel wrote:if it really were true that extra lanes don't help - then why do we have problems (SAY DOWNTOWN AREA ON I-80) when it shrinks to only 2 lanes???? extra lanes do help big time - omaha's got problems even in its own structure - but nothing as bad as chicago does - i was suprised chicago had barely any lanes on the interstate - omaha had more lol - but i did like the idea of EXPRESS LANES for rush hour times

Ok, lets revisit this and I will state it a different way. Adding lanes does help alleviate congestion, but only to a certain extent. You can't take a stretch of road, like I-80 between Omaha and Lincoln, and just keep throwing additional lanes at the problem all willy nilly. Once you get to a certain point, adding another lane does not become an effective solution. Right now, three lanes is an effective solution for that stretch of road but beyond that are better and more effective solutions than adding a 4th.

michaelsjewel · Post by **michaelsjewel** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:43 pm

i think extra lanes HELP TO A BIG EXTENT - going to chicago to see how their limitation of lanes cause many traffic problems - and in omaha - downtown 2 lanes seem to cause problems as well out of omaha - BUT FOR SOME REASON congestion doesn't happen where it's 4-6 lanes on 80 (except maybe in the exiting lanes) - but this allows people to bypass this congestion if they are going farther distances - i think it's bull to assume that the extra lanes have no positive outcome - the more distance that can be traveled the more sense it makes if more lanes are added b/c not everyone is going to exit 1 mile ahead - and i don't think people driving appreciate having to sit in congested traffic just b/c there's a lack of lanes to bypass the exiting lanes -

i agree that exits need to have more width to make them allow more to exit @ once - though between omaha and lincoln i hardly ever see anyone exit - 2 lanes just isn't enough during rush times and then you get those that go 60 in a 75 that hang out in the passing lanes - either it's a lack of BANDWIDTH or a lack of creditability of drivers in this state

so you think it's better to propose a new interstate stretch between the 2 or something? it would cost more and destroy more land in the process - NOT A GOOD SOLUTION -

when are they going to be finished with the interstate's widening anyhow? - it's sure taking them awhile - considering other countries seem to work much faster than the US on anything -

by the time they are finished - there will be a problem - but i think the extra lane is just providing extra bandwidth for future omaha expansion - though i'm wondering if they have any plans for a future BYPASS (880 or something) since omaha's expanding westward so rapidly -

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:11 pm

You must be completely daft. I'm going to try this one more time, and make it very simple for you.

- Extra lanes help but they are not the catch-all solution. You get a high percentage of return with adding a third lane, but with each additional lane your return will diminish. There then is a point where tacking on additional lanes is not an effective solution. I don't know where you're getting that extra lanes do not help at all.

- Learn the difference between proposing and predicting. Read what I wrote again and think before you post.

- Frankly the interstate reconstruction is going very well, IMO. Last I heard they were ahead of schedule. The end date is 2012 I believe. For more information, here's the NDOR page: http://www.nebraskatransportation.org/p ... /index.htm

- By the time they are finished there will be no traffic emergency. Yes, an outer loop around Omaha has been discussed as shown by an August OWH article. The article is not available on the OWH site, but here's the eOmaha discussion: http://www.eomaha.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... ate+bypass

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:49 pm

Friends-

Lets be careful..We seem to be teetering just a bit here..

Remember..Disagree with the opinion of a fellow poster..Do not hurl 'backhanded' insults directly at them..

Thanks..

Now back to the debate..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

michaelsjewel · Post by **michaelsjewel** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:12 am

oh I'M DAFT NOW???? well i question that statement for your own sake considering you couldn't understand a statment i previously wrote.....

and i do think before i post - and even if more and more lanes don't help as much as much as the previous one - they STILL HELP - they may not be a complete solution - but it's something, you make it sound like it's pointless altogether.

but how about this...we agree to disagree - enough said! (and to think this all started just because i mentioned a possible 4th lane - whatever - seems people are quite RUDE here)