Accident rate at 72nd, I-80 to prompt changes
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Drivers cruising on 72nd Street at Interstate 80 should be extra careful. As intersections go, 72nd Street and I-80 poses a triple threat.
It ranks No. 1 based on a combination of the three measures Omaha uses to evaluate the safety of intersections - total accidents, severity of the accidents and the number of crashes per million vehicles.
Intersections can pose risks for different reasons, which is why the city looks at the numbers in different ways.
For example, an intersection might not have the most accidents in the city, but the number might be high relative to the number of vehicles using it.
Changes are planned at 72nd and I-80.
One problem involves traffic from westbound I-80 that exits to turn right and head north on 72nd Street.
There is no stop light for those drivers. That results in drivers stopping and starting as they try to merge onto busy 72nd Street, leading to rear-end crashes.
"It's confusing to some people," said driver Ryan Baatz, who works near the intersection and uses it daily.
The Nebraska Roads Department plans later this year or next to install a traffic light and prohibit right turns on red.
Another problem stems from drivers who are westbound on nearby Grover Street who turn south on 72nd Street because they want to reach I-80.
Those drivers have to quickly cross over two lanes of traffic to reach the entry ramp to westbound I-80, which leads to accidents.
The intersection of 72nd and I-80 tallied 44 accidents in 2005, the most recent year for which the city has complete figures. Counts for 2006 won't be completed until this fall.
