Construction hits south Lincoln

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By GWEN TIETGEN / Lincoln Journal Star

South Lincoln motorists should expect the unexpected as they drive along Nebraska 2 this summer.

Two phases of construction will affect the highway in chunks from Van Dorn to 59th streets.

The $3.446 million project is designed to repair existing pavement and curb and resurface most of the stretch.

It’s also adding and extending some turn lanes and upgrading guard rails, according to the Nebraska Department of Roads.

So, who benefits and how big will the headache be?

Well, the east-west thoroughfare carries an estimated 31,210 vehicles a day.

Motorists traveling the stretch from Van Dorn Street to Southwood Drive, near 20th Street, already were hit with detours and delays last week. The work continues east down Nebraska 2 this week.

Lincoln Police Sgt. Jerry Thraen, who works on the department’s Southwest Team, said the construction has caused some confusion for semitrailer drivers on U.S. 77 who usually go down a short stretch of Van Dorn to get to Nebraska 2 but are now taking Van Dorn east to 27th Street.

Making a turn in a semi on city streets “would be difficult no matter how they did it,” Thraen said.

“So, we don’t want them going down Van Dorn.”

Dirt and rocks on a corner lot at 27th and Van Dorn streets were scattered, reportedly by trucks struggling with the sharp turns, area residents say.

Construction crews will repair  pavement and curbs, then go back and mill and resurface the highway, said Bob Sanburn, highway project manager for the Roads Department.

So, he said, each segment will be affected twice for an estimated five days each time.

This week, crews will work on the chunk from Southwood Drive to just west of 33rd Street, he said.

Next, workers will tackle the area from 33rd to 40th streets. The last chunk stretches from 40th Street to near 59th Street, although asphalt work will end just before 56th Street, Sanburn said.

Detours will take traffic around construction on Old Cheney Road.

Drivers also will have to contend with a city safety improvement project at 14th Street and Nebraska 2 at the same time. That work will include the addition of two left turn lanes from 14th Street onto Nebraska 2, and two right turn lanes from Nebraska 2 east onto 14th Street, said Charlie Wilcox, project manager for the city’s engineering services.

The city project also includes installation of new traffic signals at the intersection, he said.

Work is set to be completed around mid-August, said Sanburn.

But then again, plans can change along with, and more than, the weather.

For now, Sanburn said, “things are moving very fast. They are actually a little bit of ahead of schedule.”

Nebraska 2 lane closures vary throughout the day.

Here’s the breakdown:

� 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., all lanes open, Monday through Friday.

� 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., one lane of traffic in each direction, Monday through Friday.

� 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., all lanes closed, seven days a week.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the contractor, Pavers Inc. of Waverly, can close one lane in each direction from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sanburn said.

Reach Gwen Tietgen at 473-7242 or gtietgen@journalstar.com.

Where’s the road?

To find the latest construction updates, call Pavers Inc.’s public relations line at 432-5948, or go to the Nebraska Department of Roads Web site at www.nebraskatransportation.org, and click on “Lincoln Highway 2 project.”