70th and Dodge

[Coyote]

New median will prohibit left turns at 70th and Dodge



City officials plan to reduce crashes at one Omaha intersection by building a median. According to Keep Omaha Moving, operated by Omaha Public Works, the intersection of 70th and Dodge has a “significantly” higher number of crashes than the citywide average at similar intersections. Keep Omaha Moving referenced a traffic study released last September that showed an average of 16 crashes per year, when similar intersections see just 1.5 crashes a year. Currently, there is a median break at 70th and Dodge that lets traffic turn left, either off or onto Dodge Street. Drivers turning left need to cross three lanes of traffic without a stoplight.

The intersection is close to 72nd and Dodge, which sees heavy traffic flow. It also connects to several businesses. Work begins to construct the median in early June and is estimated to take one-to-two weeks to complete. Drivers can still access areas around the intersection by taking different routes through side streets.

[daveoma]

That seems like a good idea.

[Louie]

The High & Younes sign has been hit multiple times and replaced multiple times as well. I'm sure that's related to the accident frequency here.

[nativeomahan]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

[Louie]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

If you're talking about the restaurants on the north side of Dodge, I've found access from the alley to be easier.

[nativeomahan]

What alley?

[TransitOriented]

What alley?

Capital Court

[Louie]

What alley?

Capital Court

Bingo

[BRoss]

I wish that alley connected with 69th. But according to someone in the city I emailed, there's no plans to do that.

[Louie]

I wish that alley connected with 69th. But according to someone in the city I emailed, there's no plans to do that.

I cut through the Office Max parking lot to get to 69th all the time.

[BRoss]

I cut through the Office Max parking lot to get to 69th all the time.

Nice

[Athomsfere]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

Hopefully its a no U-turn spot.

[NEDodger]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

Hopefully its a no U-turn spot.

This. Those should be illegal at all major intersections, too.

[nativeomahan]

One of the main reasons that businesses locate along busy streets is because of the visibility it gives them to a greater number of motorists and others who happen to utilize the busy street. It is probably THE reason businesses choose to pay the higher costs associated with locating along such busy thoroughfares.
Dodge Street isn’t just a city street, it’s also a main US highway. Hwy 6.
If I as a motorist am traveling Highway 6 (also a main East-West thoroughfare in Denver/Aurora, Colorado) through Omaha and I happen to have my attention drawn to any of those businesses/restaurants near 70th Street, how would I go about actually getting to them?
I understand that the city believes there needs to be something done about a busy intersection that has an above average number of accidents. I’m just not certain that they aren’t dealing an unexpected and unwanted financial blow to many businesses by closing the intersection to essentially half the motorists who drive by these businesses. Actually the proposed closure will also effect westbound traffic that would still be able to access these businesses but would have no ready ability to head back to the east after they visit these properties.

[PWL73316]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

Hopefully its a no U-turn spot.

Love that some people have the attitude that if the city makes it impossible to access businesses, forcing drivers to use alternatives, the "solution" is to make the alternatives illegal and just keep making it harder and harder to get around.

[ita]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

Hopefully its a no U-turn spot.

Love that some people have the attitude that if the city makes it impossible to access businesses, forcing drivers to use alternatives, the "solution" is to make the alternatives illegal and just keep making it harder and harder to get around.

You're definitely going to need to plan ahead once the median is up, but there are still options to get to businesses on the North side of Dodge going eastbound. You make a left at 72nd and then right at Capitol Court or take the next left at 69th and go through the Office Max parking lot. I think it's much more detrimental to the businesses south of Dodge with westbound commuters having no good options.

[Athomsfere]

That can’t make the restaurants and other businesses at that intersection very happy. I think it will just move the problem to 69th Street as eastbound traffic desiring to access businesses on the north side of Dodge will have little choice but to make U-turns at 69th. There are absolutely no other options on Dodge for turning left or making a U-turn while heading eastbound.

Hopefully its a no U-turn spot.

Love that some people have the attitude that if the city makes it impossible to access businesses, forcing drivers to use alternatives, the "solution" is to make the alternatives illegal and just keep making it harder and harder to get around.

It's what we do for pedestrians and bicycles. So why not for the thing that requires so little to plan ahead or drive an extra block or two, too.

[BRoss]

There are already no U-turns at 69th St and 72nd. I asked the city when I emailed them back a while ago if that would be changed and they said no.

When coming from the north side to go east, you either need to cut through the Office Max parking lot or exit north on 72nd and turn around at the light turning into the parking garage for Crossroads.

For the businesses on the south side, to go west, you can go through the neighborhood to get to 72nd & Farnam.

[nativeomahan]

There are already no U-turns at 69th St and 72nd. I asked the city when I emailed them back a while ago if that would be changed and they said no.

When coming from the north side to go east, you either need to cut through the Office Max parking lot or exit north on 72nd and turn around at the light turning into the parking garage for Crossroads.

For the businesses on the south side, to go west, you can go through the neighborhood to get to 72nd & Farnam.

Or, you can just say |expletive| it! I’m not wandering through a maze of alleys, neighborhoods and parking lots just to get to a restaurant. I’ll go somewhere else.
Multiply that by 1000 other motorists and you have a half dozen or more businesses going out of business.
I wonder just how much input from the affected businesses the city sought?

[ita]

The bigger issue here is the Dodge is a notorious stroad. Per Strong Towns, "They're what happens when a street (a place where people interact with businesses and residences, and where wealth is produced) gets combined with a road (a high-speed route between productive places)." (https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/201 ... -it-matter)



Master Plan discussions have been at an all time high recently. In the Destination Midtown plan there is a section focusing on transforming Dodge from Midtown to 69th Street into an urban boulevard. While I don't think that is necessarily the way to go because it increases the ROW and adds more lanes of traffic, if the City ever wants to make 72nd and Dodge more pedestrian friendly, the intersection needs significant infrastructure changes. Otherwise, it will continue to languish as a nasty stroad.

[BRoss]

The idea of widening Dodge east of 69th died a long time ago. I remember when it came up. They were considering 6 - 8 lanes and would tear down houses/businesses on the south side of the street. Since they they've built too many things on the south side to be feasible anymore (not that it really was to begin with).

[Dusty]

I love seeing more people bringing up Strong Towns. I would love Omaha to adopt more of their principles into design.

I brought up some ideas in the Crossroads thread. But we need to change the vibe of the whole area. We can't rely on cars alone anymore. I would convert one lane for dedicated transit. Also, shrink the distance walking by designing large pedestrian refuge islands. This adds more landscaping and tones down the highway/speedway vibe. Ideally, we want to change the look to more of a town center instead of a super stroad.

[Athomsfere]

Master Plan discussions have been at an all time high recently. In the Destination Midtown plan there is a section focusing on transforming Dodge from Midtown to 69th Street into an urban boulevard. While I don't think that is necessarily the way to go because it increases the ROW and adds more lanes of traffic, if the City ever wants to make 72nd and Dodge more pedestrian friendly, the intersection needs significant infrastructure changes. Otherwise, it will continue to languish as a nasty stroad.

I don't remember that part about the boulevard... There already isn't space on Dodge to add lanes. It needs to lose lanes there. Maybe add an elevated LRT above it and use the swing lane for the structural support and a segregated bike lane...

But alas, pipe dreams for anything better than what we have now.

[Renovator2559]

I love seeing more people bringing up Strong Towns. I would love Omaha to adopt more of their principles into design.

I brought up some ideas in the Crossroads thread. But we need to change the vibe of the whole area. We can't rely on cars alone anymore. I would convert one lane for dedicated transit. Also, shrink the distance walking by designing large pedestrian refuge islands. This adds more landscaping and tones down the highway/speedway vibe. Ideally, we want to change the look to more of a town center instead of a super stroad.

Not only Strong Towns, but also Not Just Bikes. These two channels have done collabs.

Im leaving this Not Just Bikes on how ugly and impractical these stroads are. I honestly despise the problems that will be perpetuated, by what they are doing in this part of Dodge street, in adding yet another lane; just so they can facilitate car traffic from supposed pedestrian friendly Crossroads project and pedestrian friendly new Central library. I don't know about you but I see conflicting objectives that stilll end up not improving the pedestrian experience or fixing the traffic congestion.

I am not going to lie, I dread passing through this side into west Omaha, it's a wild jungle of an endless sea of grey parkinglots and obscenely expensive long bars of traffic lights.

[Coyote]

Drivers navigate safer median at 70th and Dodge



City engineers closed a median to reduce hot spot for crashes.

[thenewguy]

generally speaking, medians can be a hassle in terms of convenience, but I used to work at that officemax many years ago, and witnessed first hand a number of accidents first hand. Sometimes people absolutely fly through that stretch hoping to make the light at 72nd and would hit cars trying to turn