Mayor Chris Beutler released a road design task force report that recommends the city consider simplified and less costly designs for some road projects in order to stretch available funds.

Beutler created the technical task force on road design standards late last year to look at the city’s current standards and propose changes.

City Public Works and Utilities Director Greg MacLean was a member of the task force. He said some roads planned to be four lanes may need to be phased in.

The task force also recommended the city continue to aggressively pursue new revenue sources for road construction.

“Safety was a top priority for the task force,” MacLean said. “We concluded that in some cases, changes may cause driver inconvenience or increased travel time, but they did not decrease safety.”

The task force also recommended:

* Continuing support for the Rural to Urban Transition Streets or RUTS program.

* Delaying the construction of turning lanes or storm sewers on some projects in order to build more streets.

* Striking a balance between construction costs and future maintenance expenses.

The task force included city staff and community members with expertise in development, road construction, engineering and planning. A complete list of members is in the final report, available on the city Web site at lincoln.ne.gov.

“We will now begin implementing the task force recommendations on those projects where they are appropriate and do not compromise safety,” Beutler said in a press release. “They will help us reach our goal of building new roads to provide for future growth and new jobs.”