Dodge Street Rebuild

[Jim Redelfs]

(I just submitted the following to the Weird-Harold. Any bets that it will be
printed?)

At first reading of the article which outlined Omaha's tentative plan to keep
Dodge Street at five lanes, I was incredulous. Then I remembered that it is
Omaha, after all. Since moving to the area in 1955, Omaha has demonstrated a
frustrating tradition of ignoring common sense and forward thinking when it
comes to traffic engineering. All "improvements" are done well after they are
overdue. For years I have thought that Dodge Street should be rebuilt to at
least six lanes or more. Yes, the up-front cost would be high but such an
investment would benefit countless citizens for years to come as they must
deal with Omaha's worst decision of all time: "Revitalization" of downtown.
Put a hundred-dollar saddle on a ten-dollar horse and you still have a
ten-dollar horse. The same is true for all the window-dressing, lagoons,
gilded homeless shelters (bus stop shelters), dropping a hotel in the middle
of 16th Street, and the list goes on and on. If the powers that be saw fit to
build the eyesore, elevated pigeon roost that will surely kill everything on
the ground around Miracle Hills and Burke High School, is it any wonder they
don't have the foresight to make the major rebuild of Dodge Street worth the
time and hassle? Do it right for a change, Omaha. Acquire the property
(sorry Dundee Theater, et al) and rebuild Omaha's "main" street into more than
just a widened version of the same, old thing: A confusing,
variable-direction-middle-lane drag strip with no left turn anywhere. While
you're at it, move the WWI memorial from Turner Park so you can remake the
eastbound transition to Douglas Street a real improvement - not the typical,
cheap half-measure. Do the right thing with my money.

JR

[Mike Fahey]

Post by Jim Redelfs
(I just submitted the following to the Weird-Harold. Any bets that it will be
printed?)
At first reading of the article which outlined Omaha's tentative plan to keep
Dodge Street at five lanes, I was incredulous. Then I remembered that it is
Omaha, after all. Since moving to the area in 1955, Omaha has demonstrated a
frustrating tradition of ignoring common sense and forward thinking when it
comes to traffic engineering. All "improvements" are done well after they are
overdue. For years I have thought that Dodge Street should be rebuilt to at
least six lanes or more. Yes, the up-front cost would be high but such an
investment would benefit countless citizens for years to come as they must
deal with Omaha's worst decision of all time: "Revitalization" of downtown.
Put a hundred-dollar saddle on a ten-dollar horse and you still have a
ten-dollar horse. The same is true for all the window-dressing, lagoons,
gilded homeless shelters (bus stop shelters), dropping a hotel in the middle
of 16th Street, and the list goes on and on. If the powers that be saw fit to
build the eyesore, elevated pigeon roost that will surely kill everything on
the ground around Miracle Hills and Burke High School, is it any wonder they
don't have the foresight to make the major rebuild of Dodge Street worth the
time and hassle? Do it right for a change, Omaha. Acquire the property
(sorry Dundee Theater, et al) and rebuild Omaha's "main" street into more than
just a widened version of the same, old thing: A confusing,
variable-direction-middle-lane drag strip with no left turn anywhere. While
you're at it, move the WWI memorial from Turner Park so you can remake the
eastbound transition to Douglas Street a real improvement - not the typical,
cheap half-measure. Do the right thing with my money.
JR

Let's see, that's R - E - D - E - L - F - S ? Is it?

Well, Laddie, let's just wait until I annex Elkhorn and then we'll see
what kind of tune you sing, me pretty! {evil laughs receding}

[johnkool]

Jim Redelfs wrote:
Do the right thing with my money.

JR

But Jim, what money do you pay to Omaha? (Until Elkhorn actually IS
annexed?)

[Jim Redelfs]

Post by johnkool
But Jim, what money do you pay to Omaha?

You're kidding, right?

The price tag of their half-assed, cheap-out plan is upwards of $60-70M, IIRC.
Omaha will pay only a fraction of the CO$T.

Dodge Street (and West Dodge Rd) from the Missouri west to Highway 31/204th
Street is also U.S. 6 - a federal highway.

I pay plenty. So do you.

Post by johnkool
(Until Elkhorn actually IS annexed?)

Before all this fat REALLY hit the fire, I told the City Administrator that,
if there was "a reasonable chance" that we would prevail, we should go for it.

I would LOVE to see Elkhorn be "the big one that got away".

Omaha doesn't NEED us. It just WANTS us.

Douglas County extends WELL past Valley to the west. Although many folks know
where the SOUTH county line is (Harrison St - 69-blocks south of Dodge), most
probably don't know where the NORTH boundary is. Try this: 144-blocks north
of Dodge. That's well past Bennington. It's called Dutch Hall Road.

There is PLENTY of room in this county for more than just Omaha.

Besides, Omaha should be required to annex everything WITHIN their current
boundaries before expanding those boundaries. Little places like, ah...
Ralston. Boystown -er- Girls and Boystown. How about that SID that's still
in the middle of town between Blondo and Maple - between 120th & 132 St?

With enough lawyers in the same room, I'm sure the allegations of who did what
improperly (open meeting laws, yammer, yammer) would never cease. Elkhorn
should be allowed to FINISH the annexation process it started FIRST - before
Omaha started THEIR process.

I have yet to hear that the Millard annexation offers ANY precedents in this
case.