“Prey For
Us, We Drive Highway 30!”
Dangerous US Highway 30
Fremont to Schuyler,
Nebraska
4 May
2014
Copyright
2013 – 470MediaGroup
Delays,
Delays, Delays, the story of building the final 15 mile four lane section of
the Omaha to Columbus, Nebraska
Expressway.
First, it
was the Corps of Engineers. Yes, those fine
folks that excellently engineered The Great Missouri River Flood of 2011, and
their study of some critter who’s habitat was along the route of the proposed
realignment of US Highway 30 from west of Fremont to east of Schuyler,
Nebraska.
I’m sorry
environmentalists, but when we put a critter ahead of human lives, there’s a
serious issue with priorities. Mother
Nature has shown for centuries that she can adapt, without human intervention. It is when humans intervene, damage to the
ecosystem occurs.
Then came Nebraska’s LB 84, The
Build Nebraska Act, put the project on a timetable.
Next, Nebraska’s
DemoRat infested Unicameral had an opportunity during the 2014 session to issue
bonds to fund the remaining LB 84 projects, including the US Highway 30
project, and take advantage of these incredibly low interest rates, shaving
millions of dollars off the costs of these projects, and getting them underway
almost immediately.
Great deal
for the taxpayers, but DemoRats are DemoRats, and with any great Conservative,
Money Saving Idea, that also adds good, high paying jobs, the DemoRats who want
you to be totally dependant on Government instead of succeed in life on your
own, strike these ideas down.
As you will
see, waiting for this project to get underway in 2016 is simply not an option.
This 15
mile stretch of US Highway 30, The Lincoln Highway, is sub-standard, and for
the most part is the original alignment of the highway built decades ago.
Lanes are
narrow and sub-standard, there are no shoulders, and the speed limit is too
high through the entire 15 mile stretch.
Simply put,
this is one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in Nebraska.
Just this
year, there have been six accidents in a six mile section from where the
expressway portion currently ends west of Fremont
to County Road 14 in Dodge
County.
Two of
these accidents resulted in fatalities, the remainder in injuries.
In a recent
accident, a family on the way to an accident scene on County Road 14 in Dodge County
was rear ended when they slowed to turn off US Highway 30 at County Road
14. This family lost their Father in the
original accident, and the family ended up being transported to the hospital
with injuries.
Just this
past Friday morning, and eastbound truck, applied hard braking to avoid rear
ending slow moving vehicles ahead just east of Country Road 19, and went off
the highway into a ditch, taking out a power pole. Traffic was shut down on a one and one half
mile stretch of highway for over four hours, with no easily used detour route,
while the power lines and pole were cleared, and the truck extracted from the
muddy ditch.
Due to its
1940’s design, this highway is extremely dangerous during the winter
months. With no shoulders, there is no
margin for error when the highway becomes ice, slush, or snow covered. Numerous roll over accidents occur every
Winter. Fortunately, the lack of snow
this Winter spared us this danger.
Other daily
hazards on this stretch of the Lincoln
Highway include:
Speeding
Drivers – who are well
above the posted 60 MPH limit, which is too high considering this highway was
designed and built almost three-quarters of a century ago. Numerous times, I have witnessed drivers well
in excess of 75 MPH. Friday’s accident
clearly shows the dangerous of the speed limit being excessive for the design
and vehicle load this stretch of highway carries.
Aggressive
Drivers – those who
follow too close are a danger on the roadways.
In this stretch of highway, they are beyond dangerous.
This is
life for those of us who live along, and/or must travel this dangerous stretch
of The Lincoln Highway on a daily basis.
We take our lives literally in our hands each time we must proceed on to
this highway named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln
In all likelihood,
2016 will be when the bulldozers begin this project which will easily take over
two years to complete.
In the
meantime, The State of Nebraska Department of Roads needs to step up and take immediate
actions to reduce the critical issues on this stretch of road, these items
include:
- Reducing the Speed Limit to 55 MPH for the entire stretch with the following exception:
- Reducing the speed limit from 65 MPH to 55 MPH from the intersection of West 23rd Street (Business 30) in West Fremont to where the four lane section reduces to two lanes. This is a very confusing and not well marked transition, where two of the fatal accidents this year occurred.
Fremont
Lakes Region in Dodge County – from where the four lane section ends at the
curve southwest of County Road 20 ¼ (CR 20 Ave), westward to one mile west of
County Road 18, a speed limit of no greater than 45 MPH, with absolutely no
passing allowed. Two injury accidents
occurred along this stretch from just east of County Road 19 to east of the
former Lake Sunset Motel.
Already,
traffic along this stretch is extremely heavy due to the construction project
which will have sections of Military
Road from the BNSF Railway crossing in Fremont westward to The
Fremont Lakes, closed. Highway 30 is the
only detour.
- State of Nebraska needs to allocate special funding to provide for Aggressive Enforcement of the traffic laws by the Dodge County Sheriff and Nebraska State Patrol along the highway in The Fremont Lakes Region during the Spring and Summer of 2014, focusing on speeding, those following too close, or driving aggressively.
Hint,
Hint law enforcement, you can write lots of sweet fines if you just spend an
hour or two a day out on this stretch of road.
- Building Right Turn Lanes at:
- Westlake Trailer Court
- Eastbound at County Roads 18 & 19, and the entry to the Fremont Lakes.
- Westbound at County Road 18
- All other remaining County Road intersections between County Road 18 and where the four lane section resumes east of Schuyler, Nebraska.
Tens of
Thousands of vehicles travel US Highway 30 daily westward to Grand Island.
It is
beyond time for The State of Nebraska Department of Roads to step up and take
action to increase the safety along this out of date, dangerous stretch of the
great highway named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
President
Lincoln freed the slaves.
Now, The
State of Nebraska can free those who travel this stretch of roadway from the
fear of being injured or killed, this year, instead of waiting until whenever
the replacement four lane stretch is completed.
How many
more people must be injured or killed before action is taken?
“Prey
For Us, We Drive Highway 30! Dangerous US Highway
30 – Fremont to Schuyler, Nebraska!” is copyrighted 2014 by 470Media
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