I-680 Improvements

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:04 pm

I noticed that several trees that line the fence along I-680N just a bit before the Maple street exit have been cut down and there's some construction equipments and such. I know that even with 2 exit lanes traffic still gets backed up at evening rush hour. Does anyone know what's going on there?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:18 pm

I think Buck's Cut down the trees so people can see their new store that they are building, its going to face south. As far as the construction equipment some is for the gas station, other equipment is used to put the reflectors in the interstate pavement. THey are currently adding the reflectors from Maple to Fort.

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:21 pm

Brad wrote:I think Buck's Cut down the trees so people can see their new store that they are building, its going to face south.

I could be wrong but I thought it was people's houses on the other side of the fence where the trees were being cut. Now that I think about it, I'm sure of it because it is only houses between Maple and Blondo on 102nd.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:27 pm

w8ing wrote:
Brad wrote:I think Buck's Cut down the trees so people can see their new store that they are building, its going to face south.
I could be wrong but I thought it was people's houses on the other side of the fence where the trees were being cut. Now that I think about it, I'm sure of it because it is only houses between Maple and Blondo on 102nd.

Oops, first of I ment Buckey's not buck's as in Buckey's gas station

Everything there is brand new, I think they are just doing general maintence on the trees. You said they are cutting down trees between Blondo and Maple, I saw the ones just north of maple and now that I have thought about it I have seen other trees removed further south on 680. I don't think its anything...

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:29 pm

Maybe they are building one of those noise barrier walls?

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:31 pm

That could be. You think someone on theis site would have caught wind of that by now.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 10:19 pm

I saw that tractor there to the other day. It seamed like it was quite out of place there with nothing else around it. I'll keep an eye on it I drive by there to go to the gym 5 days a week. Aught see something eventually. My guess is a barrier as well, those houses are fairly close to the hi-way and has just been rebuilt. So it would been darn near impossible for some more widening.

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:12 am

MTO wrote:I drive by there to go to the gym 5 days a week.

off topic - golds or 24hr fitness?

Post by **Brad** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:23 am

That is deffiently a wall. I looked on the way to work. There is survey stakes in a line and all the trees and grass have been removed. Wat I saw earlier was just a tree here and there.

Speeking of trees, there was a story about how one kind of pine three that is going to be extinct in Omaha in the next 10 years. There is 3 of those trees on the fort street entrance ramp to 680 that are completely dead.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:22 am

golds

OPlaya · Post by **OPlaya** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:55 pm

MTO wrote:golds

I use to go to Gold's but they got too high for what there lacking and the little space they do have there. I use to see Chief Warren working out occasionally there. Now i'm at 24 on 120th.

Hellenistic Kshatriya · Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:09 pm

Slightly off topic... but it appears they redid the lanes at the Fort St. Exit for Northbound 680. There used to be 4 lanes from Maple to Fort, with the far right one getting off on Fort, the far left merging in.... now the far right one merges a little after maple, the 2nd right one (after the merge the first) exits to Fort, and the far 2 left ones go through the Fort Exit... Only problem is if you get on to 680 from Maple you've got to move over two lanes to stay on, shouldn't be that hard now but if things got busy it could be.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:02 pm

Yes I used to see him too. I used to see a couple news people there as well. I want to switch but every time I get money to sing up at another place I spend it on something else. Someday I will find a better gym. Actually size wise it is one of the biggest gyms in Iowa and Nebraska. I was told once it is one of the biggest golds in north America.

w8ing · Post by **w8ing** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:33 pm

OPlaya wrote:Now i'm at 24 on 120th.

That's where I go. I tend to be there later in the evening so it's less crowded. My only complaint about the place is the copious number of meatheads who can't be bothered to carry a towel to wipe off their layer of sweat when they're done with machines.

Hellenistic Kshatriya wrote:now the far right one merges a little after maple, the 2nd right one (after the merge the first) exits to Fort, and the far 2 left ones go through the Fort Exit...

They need to move the sign. There's a sign for Fort St. exit on the far right lane that now ends. Twice I've moved into that lane only to have to zip back over and I've seen people in my rear view mirror do it too.

Hellenistic Kshatriya · Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:25 pm

Didn't notice that toight, but I'm driving up that way again tomorrow morning, I'll try and see the sign your talking about.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 8:05 am

Back to the topic......

Hellenistic Kshatriya wrote:Slightly off topic... but it appears they redid the lanes at the Fort St. Exit for Northbound 680. There used to be 4 lanes from Maple to Fort, with the far right one getting off on Fort, the far left merging in.... now the far right one merges a little after maple, the 2nd right one (after the merge the first) exits to Fort, and the far 2 left ones go through the Fort Exit... Only problem is if you get on to 680 from Maple you've got to move over two lanes to stay on, shouldn't be that hard now but if things got busy it could be.

That sucks, there is nothing like a 2 lane wide shoulder now. I never thought it was that bad to begin with, there was really no problems except the state wants all of the left lenes to be the through lanes.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:03 pm

Thursday 7-27-2006

Yes I was

Hellenistic Kshatriya · Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:31 pm

Which sign were you refering to? The exit sign or the one that says right lane mus exit or did I miss the one you refered to.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:32 pm

They have about a dozen of the columns for the sound wall up.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:06 am

And it looks like they will be pretty tall. Like the ones on the west side of 1-25 as you go through Denver.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:11 pm

Almost done.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:54 pm

They are starting to put up a sound barrier wall from the Sprague St overpass north toward Fort St exit.

Post by **Brad** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:44 pm

Uffda wrote:They are starting to put up a sound barrier wall from the Sprague St overpass north toward Fort St exit.

They seem to be moving a lot faster on this new section than they did last year.

Mjs5050ss · Post by **Mjs5050ss** » Fri May 30, 2025 11:50 am

It looks like they are updating all of the lights on North 680. Just wondering if they would be doing this in anticipation of widening 680 from Fort to the river to 3 lanes any time soon.

I really wish they would start on Fort to Blair High yesterday.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Fri May 30, 2025 11:57 am

Idk that 680 volume from Irvington to I-29 necessarily needs 6 lanes. But I agree that the stretch from Fort to Blair High needs to be finished properly.

GenX · Post by **GenX** » Fri May 30, 2025 12:01 pm

I could see it maybe eventually going 3 lanes to 72nd once that area grows, but no further.

Post by **BRoss** » Fri May 30, 2025 12:20 pm

Widening to Blair High Road is in the five year plan, but I agree it should have been done a long time ago.

I don't see it ever being widened further in my lifetime unless they build the US-75 bypass.

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Fri May 30, 2025 12:56 pm

I think it probably would make sense to go 3 lanes to 72nd. Every time I'm on that section, its fairly busy. Never been backed up or anything like that, but fairly populated.

What I really would like to see is an exit for State Street, near Cunningham. There's been a lot of development up there, and there'll continue to be more. Also considering the investment the city recently put into the lake, ya think it'd make sense to have an exit right around wenninghoff road.

Mjs5050ss · Post by **Mjs5050ss** » Fri May 30, 2025 1:27 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 12:56 pm I think it probably would make sense to go 3 lanes to 72nd. Every time I'm on that section, its fairly busy. Never been backed up or anything like that, but fairly populated.

What I really would like to see is an exit for State Street, near Cunningham. There's been a lot of development up there, and there'll continue to be more. Also considering the investment the city recently put into the lake, ya think it'd make sense to have an exit right around wenninghoff road.

A State Street exit would help out the issues at Blair High greatly. Daily, there is more and more traffic going to 72nd street, and I'm sure that will go up quite a bit more if/when the Amazon there goes online. If they can't put an exit for State street, you would think they could at least connect State and Cunningham directly.

swinquest · Post by **swinquest** » Fri May 30, 2025 2:16 pm

I think that there has been construction barricades and a temporary concrete wall for as long as I can remember (seems like for as long as I have been in Omaha - 20 years). What is the story behind this? Part of this expansion that severely stalled?

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Fri May 30, 2025 2:16 pm

Mjs5050ss wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 11:50 am It looks like they are updating all of the lights on North 680. Just wondering if they would be doing this in anticipation of widening 680 from Fort to the river to 3 lanes any time soon.

I really wish they would start on Fort to Blair High yesterday.

I think they're doing the lights all the way around... Work ongoing all the way down on Pacific exit ramp too..

Busguy2010 · Post by **Busguy2010** » Fri May 30, 2025 2:49 pm

swinquest wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 2:16 pm I think that there has been construction barricades and a temporary concrete wall for as long as I can remember (seems like for as long as I have been in Omaha - 20 years). What is the story behind this? Part of this expansion that severely stalled?

You mean right around Fort street?

It has been like that for quite some time. I've gotten so used to it I've forgotten. My guess is it has something to do with the bridge over Fort/difficulty negotiating a plan. It is pretty goofy how different 680 transitions as soon as you go over Fort street.

swinquest · Post by **swinquest** » Fri May 30, 2025 3:07 pm

Busguy2010 wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 2:49 pm
swinquest wrote: Fri May 30, 2025 2:16 pm I think that there has been construction barricades and a temporary concrete wall for as long as I can remember (seems like for as long as I have been in Omaha - 20 years). What is the story behind this? Part of this expansion that severely stalled?
You mean right around Fort street?

It has been like that for quite some time. I've gotten so used to it I've forgotten. My guess is it has something to do with the bridge over Fort/difficulty negotiating a plan. It is pretty goofy how different 680 transitions as soon as you go over Fort street.

Yeah - sorry forgot to include that "Fort" part. I did a Google Earth history thing and looks like there was some crossover work from 2005 to 2010ish, and then it was just left.

Just a curious mind being curious

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