I-680: Fort to Blair High Road

Scott02Z71 · Post by **Scott02Z71** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 1:43 pm

Hopeful someone has some information. I saw in one of the links on here about widening I680 that the interchange at Blair High was being re-done.

I cant seem to find any information about that project. It would be great as HWY133 is backed up daily at the intersection.

Anyone with info to share?

Thanks

choke · Post by **choke** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:53 pm

Scott02Z71 wrote:Hopeful someone has some information. I saw in one of the links on here about widening I680 that the interchange at Blair High was being re-done.

I cant seem to find any information about that project. It would be great as HWY133 is backed up daily at the intersection.

Anyone with info to share?

Thanks

I tweeted NDOT complaining about that. It's supposed to happen by 2022 at the latest. Needs to be addressed right now IMO.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 11:43 pm

What's going to happen? Are we talking a flyover from NB 680 to NB 133?

choke · Post by **choke** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 5:52 am

Busguy2010 wrote:What's going to happen? Are we talking a flyover from NB 680 to NB 133?

They are just expanding I-680 in both directions to three lanes between Fort and the Irvington exit.

Post by **BRoss** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 12:08 pm

choke wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:What's going to happen? Are we talking a flyover from NB 680 to NB 133?
They are just expanding I-680 in both directions to three lanes between Fort and the Irvington exit.

There is supposed to be interchange modifications too. Not sure what those entail though.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 1:07 pm

choke wrote:They are just expanding I-680 in both directions to three lanes between Fort and the Irvington exit.

Do you think that'll help? I thought the problem was backup from the light to get on 133. Only way to really solve that is to put in a flyover or a loop, neither of which there is really enough room for. So yeah, kinda curious what they will consider as improvements.

Scott02Z71 · Post by **Scott02Z71** » Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:40 am

The interchange needs lots of work. From the Highway 133 prospective, the problem is the amount of entrances to the highway RIGHT by the 680 onramp. Ida street and the entrance to the neighborhood will cause problems to any fixes I think.

Hope they find a good solution, having 133 traffic backed up for miles every morning is challenging.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Thu Nov 16, 2017 2:15 pm

Scott02Z71 wrote:The interchange needs lots of work. From the Highway 133 prospective, the problem is the amount of entrances to the highway RIGHT by the 680 onramp. Ida street and the entrance to the neighborhood will cause problems to any fixes I think.

Hope they find a good solution, having 133 traffic backed up for miles every morning is challenging.

So the problem is the lights? It's a pain to get to the Interstate in the morning and a headache to get off of it in the evening? It just takes too long to get to the wide-open stretch of 133 right?

Scott02Z71 · Post by **Scott02Z71** » Fri Nov 17, 2017 2:49 pm

Busguy2010 wrote:
So the problem is the lights? It's a pain to get to the Interstate in the morning and a headache to get off of it in the evening? It just takes too long to get to the wide-open stretch of 133 right?

It may be the lights, could be the volume at that time of day. Heading toward Omaha in the morning from Blair and home in the evenings. Traffic is backed up. Generally in the morning as the 2 lanes need to get on to the interstate, and that seems be be challenging for some.

Post by **BRoss** » Fri Aug 29, 2025 3:08 pm

It looks like the widening of I-680 from Fort to Blair High Road may be happening next year.

In the latest NDOT Surface Transportation Program that came out at the end of June, it's listed in the 5 year plan as opposed to the 2026 plan, but I saw in the draft MAPA 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MRT) that this is targeted for 2026. The MRT also says it includes parclos (partial cloverleafs - e.g. what is at Maple) and according to MTIS page 43, both Fort Street and Blair High Road are supposed to be changed to this style (although Fort won't initially get the eastbound to northbound loop).

MTIS wrote:This project is included in the BNA and expands the existing configuration of the I-680 mainline to the recommended IJR concept. This includes the addition of one basic freeway lane with auxiliary lanes between Fort Street and Blair High Road. This project also includes interchange reconfigurations to parclo interchanges at Fort Street and Blair High Road. The EB Fort Street to NB I-680 ramp will not be constructed as part of E17, but the NB I-680 exit ramp at Fort Street will be shifted to the east to allow for the loop ramp to be constructed later.

I-680 Fort to Blair High.JPG

Post by **BRoss** » Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:02 pm

Open house is being held March 19th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Davis Middle School (8050 N 129th Avenue).

Construction could begin in 2029.

Project Page

Post by **BRoss** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 11:47 am

BRoss wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:02 pm Open house is being held March 19th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Davis Middle School (8050 N 129th Avenue).

Forgot to look back on what was released. Here are the meeting materials:

Project Mosaic (aerial overlay of full project)
Meeting Displays
Fact Sheet

I-680 as expected will be six through lanes + auxiliary lanes similar to the portions south of here. The interchange with Fort Street will be a half partial cloverleaf.
(Note: all images below have right facing north)

I-680 & Fort.JPG

The interchange with Blair High Road will be a regular partial cloverleaf (similar to Maple). There will be two lanes coming from the northwest that will enter southbound I-680.

I-680 & Blair High.JPG

Blair High Road will be six lanes between 99th/Ida Streets and State Street, although when driving southeast, it will be two lanes in that direction between the two lanes splitting off going to southbound I-680 and the northbound I-680 exit.

The intersection of 103rd/101st and Blair High Road will be changed to eliminate most left turns and only allow right turns, but northwest-bound Blair High Road turning left onto 103rd Street will remain. And it appears that 103rd Street will have a triple right turn.

103rd & Blair High.JPG

You can zoom in more and look at details of any section on the project mosaic link above.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 12:31 pm

Weak. I wish if they're gonna have it all torn up for two years (again), they'd go the extra mile and actually solve the issue at the Blair High exit. The only issue I ever run into is the NB exit ramp getting stacked up both from people going west and east. And looks like the solution is to do... Nothing. Theres a perfect opportunity to have an exit lane between 680 and 99th so everybody going to wally world don't have to stop. I never really expected a NB to NB 133 flyover, but thats the issue at this exit, and they're not changing it. Theyre taking the low hanging fruit and leaving all the good |expletive| on the tree.

Post by **BRoss** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 12:45 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2026 12:31 pm Theres a perfect opportunity to have an exit lane between 680 and 99th so everybody going to wally world don't have to stop.

They are doing that. The northbound exit shows a slip lane that goes into an auxiliary lane that ends at 99th Street:

99th & Blair High.JPG

For the northbound exit turn to northwest-bound Blair High Road, I think it would make sense to make it a triple left - especially since there will be three lanes on the bridge going over I-680. And they are already supposedly putting in a triple right at 103rd Street. I've thought for years that the northbound exit at Maple should have a triple left.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 1:19 pm

My bad, a little hard to see. I was looking for a little more separated looking ramp.

Well thats good then. As long as its no stop/no yield. Straight shot to 99th.

Post by **Brad** » Sun Apr 05, 2026 8:58 pm

I mentioned it in another thread somewhere, but the left turns are moving from 103rd/101st up to Potter Street.

Screenshot 2026-04-05 205641.jpg

JohnFN · Post by **JohnFN** » Mon Apr 06, 2026 11:45 am

Busguy2010 wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2026 1:19 pm My bad, a little hard to see. I was looking for a little more separated looking ramp.

Well thats good then. As long as its no stop/no yield. Straight shot to 99th.

I went to the open house, from what I can remember the reason it isn't a traditional off-ramp is that the grading going down into that greenspace is already pretty steep, I'd imagine that they'd have to do a free-standing off ramp if they wanted to move it any further in. I didn't ask too much about that though, so I could be wrong. But they did talk about the grading in that area being a challenge.

By the way, one minor thing not mentioned in almost any of the project docs is that they'll be resurfacing the Sprague street bridge south of the designated project site, the same type of work they will be doing on the 133 bridge.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Mon Apr 06, 2026 4:28 pm

JohnFN wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2026 11:45 am I went to the open house, from what I can remember the reason it isn't a traditional off-ramp is that the grading going down into that greenspace is already pretty steep, I'd imagine that they'd have to do a free-standing off ramp if they wanted to move it any further in. I didn't ask too much about that though, so I could be wrong. But they did talk about the grading in that area being a challenge.

Yeah, that makes sense.

It looks like the plan isn't physically changing any of the road between 680 and 99th. They actually could stripe it today so eastbound traffic just has a dedicated exit lane. As long back as I know, Blair High Road was always two lanes with the shoulder lane, and when the Walmart moved there, a right turn lane was painted into the existing shoulder lane. The width is already there, but the exit requires you to stop and enter the travel lanes before entering the right turn lane to 99th. It never really made sense to me.

Omaha Forums