FAQ Page

Frequently Asked Questions

Q	Why is Q Street being widened now?
A	The widening of Q Street has been sorely needed for some time. Despite the heavy development around the corridor, residential and commercial, Q Street has seen little improvement. Now with increased traffic, access to local schools, homes, and business has not only become inconvenient, but dangerous for pedestrians and motorists alike. This necessary widening will allow traffic to move more safely with additional through lanes to prevent long queues at intersections. Dual left turn lanes at the intersections of 176th and 180th will also improve the operation of these intersections. The project will include the construction of sidewalks along the entire length of the Q Street corridor to provide pedestrians safe passage along Q Street.
Q	What improvements will be made?
A	Q Street will be widened to four lanes from 170th Street to 184th Street. These improvements will extend the improvements that have already been made from 170th Street east. In addition to widening Q Street, improvements to each of the intersections in this area will also be made. This will include right turn lanes at some intersections, dual left turn lanes at 180th and 176th Streets, and single left turn lanes at 172nd Street. A traffic signal will be added at the Hy-Vee entrance off Q Street.
Q	How is the project being funded?
A	The project is funded through the Arterial Street Improvement Program (ASIP). This fund is fed by local developers. When a new development goes in, a portion of the fees the developer pays is set aside for this fund to pay for projects like this one. What this means for an Omaha taxpayer is that taxes will not increase as a result of this project.
Q	When will the public know about property acquisition?
A	Right-of-way negotiations began during the project's design phase. If your property will be affected by either acquisition or temporary construction easement, you would have been contacted through mail from the Douglas County Right-of-Way negotiator.
Q	How will the road be landscaped?
A	There are several landscaping options for this segment of Q Street. These options include textured medians, trees, shrubs, and ornamental grass. Douglas County is considering adopting some of these landscaping options into the project, but is looking for support from the local neighborhoods to maintain any landscaping. There are also several locations where retaining walls will be added along Q Street. These walls will be stained to have the appearance of natural stone rather than appearing as gray, concrete walls. Where required, wrought iron fences will be placed on top of retaining walls taller than four feet.
Q	How will this project impact my access to my home or business?
A	During construction, unfortunately, access may be limited at times, 176th and 172nd for example. This is an unavoidable inconvenience of road construction. Once construction is complete, access to every home, business, and side street will be restored or more likely be improved. Improved intersections with better signal timing and additional through and auxiliary lanes to carry traffic will assure more efficient and safe travel through the corridor.
Q	What is the construction schedule?
A	This past year, utility companies have made adjustments to their facilities to prepare for the road construction. The construction will then begin this spring (2009) and be completed in the fall of 2010.
Q	How loud will construction be?
A	This is a construction project so there will be some abnormal noise from machinery, but work related to using this machinery will only be done between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Q	Will Q Street ever be closed?
A	There will always be at least one lane of traffic available in both directions. However, left turns may be restricted during certain phases of the project.
Q	Who do I contact with a problem or questions?
A	There are several people you can contact: Jeremy Kuck with Olsson Associates at 402.250.8101, Ron Way with Douglas County at 402.444.6479, or Bill O'Dell with Vrana Construction at 402.306.4931. Additional information about the project contacts can be found on the "Contact Us" page.