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1819 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68183
2023 and 2024 Bike Lane Improvements (OPW 54282)
North 16th Street and Dodge Street Bike Lanes Improvements
About the Project
The City of Omaha Planning Department and Public Works Department annually review the proposed major street resurfacing projects planned throughout the City for opportunities to implement “Complete Streets” improvements (such as bike lanes or pedestrian crossing improvements) that can be accomplished through striping and signage changes. By coordinating striping changes with resurfacing, Complete Streets improvements can often be made more efficiently and for lower costs than if the improvements were implemented separately from street resurfacing.
In 2023, the resurfacing of (Old) Dodge Street from West Dodge Rd to 83rd Street included a four-lane to three-lane reconfiguration with bike lanes.
The planned 2024 resurfacing project along North 16th Street from Chicago Street to Nicholas Street has been identified as a good candidate to include striping changes to improve and extend the existing bike lanes along North 16th Street.
In addition, as part of the planned resurfacing of 17th St from Howard St to Farnam St in 2024, a one-way buffered bike lane is planned to be striped from Farnam St to Jackson St, and along Jackson St from 17th St to 16th St.
The purpose of these striping reconfigurations is to calm traffic, to improve safety and comfort for all modes of transportation, and to implement bicycle network improvements that are proposed in City and regional planning documents.
The proposed reconfiguration on 16th Street includes:
- adding all-way stop signs at the intersections of 16th & Nicholas and at 16th & Mike Fahey, alleviating issues with sightlines at these intersections;
- restriping the existing 4 feet wide bike lanes to increase their width and add a painted buffer wherever feasible between Cass Street and Cuming Street;
- extending the bike lanes north to Nicholas Street as part of the resurfacing project; and
- further extending the bike lanes from Nicholas Street to Clark Street, which (although not within the limits of the street resurfacing) will close the 1/3 mile gap between the bike lanes installed with the resurfacing project and the bike lanes being added along 16th Street from Clark Street to Lothrop Street as part of the “Nicholas Street Sewer Extension Phase 3b” project currently under construction.
When all of these improvements are completed, the North 16th Street bike lanes will be continuous for approximately 2 miles.
The completed changes on (Old) Dodge Street included restriping the existing 4-lane undivided section to a three lane (2 travel lanes with center turn lane), which provides the following benefits:
- lowering crash risk by providing a dedicated lane for left turn movements, which reduces the risk of rear-end collisions as well as left-turn collisions due to improved sightlines toward oncoming traffic; and
- allowing for repurposing of the excess road space to include dedicated bicycle lanes, which will allow for better connectivity from Children’s Hospital to lower volume streets (via 81st St and Farnam Dr) that connect to the adjacent neighborhoods, and which may, in the longer term, connect to the Keystone Trail via proposed sidepaths along the south side of Dodge St.
Project Updates
Dodge Street Updates:
- Project completed in September 2023
16th Street Updates:
- 16th St resurfacing is planned for summer or fall of 2024.
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Check back here for future updates
17th Street Updates:
- 17th St resurfacing is planned for summer or fall of 2024.
- Check back here for future updates
Resource Materials
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layout of the proposed striping changes along 16th Street can be found here.
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layout of the proposed striping changes along 17th Street can be found here.
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layout of the completed striping changes along (Old) Dodge Street can be found here.
Project Schedule
The resurfacing of (Old) Dodge Street occurred in September 2023.
The resurfacing of 16th Street and 17th Street are anticipated to occur in summer or fall of 2024.
Contact Us
- To submit a comment or receive project updates, join the project mailing list through our Contact Form.
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To provide your input about a specific location within the project area, visit the City Map.
Queries
Kevin Carder, AICP
City Planner, City of Omaha
402-444-5150 x 2010