OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Highway 75 bypass south in Blair a little over a month. It was designed to connect 75 to Highway 30 and divert traffic from a busy downtown road known as Washington Street.

“I noticed there was quite a bit of traffic there,” Blair Public Works Director C.J. Heaton said. “The truck traffic we all hope will move there is starting to pick up. “I think the word is getting around that it’s open and accessible.”

However, it took some time for the new road to be announced. Christy Jaworski owns “V. Ferme” is a local boutique on Washington Street. He says the windows still shake when semi-finished products pass by his shop, adding that the busyness makes it difficult for customers to reach his shop.

“When they have to get out of their cars, because they’re parked on the street right in front of my store, they’re heading east, they have to get out and they have to brave the semis right next to them. said Jaworski.

He is in favor of bypass and hopes that over time these semi-trucks will move to bypass. Heaton says getting the news out was all part of the plan.

“We have contacted the state and NDOT will be installing alternative truck route signs around the city,” Heaton said.

He hopes GPS programs like Google and Apple Maps will be updated to notify drivers that the bypass exists. In some cases, the path does not appear correctly when entered. But it’s not up to him.

“There are so many different products and software companies doing this that I think it will take a while to get them all updated,” Heaton said.

The city is also considering adding traffic lights at the intersection of Highways 75 and 30. A traffic study is stopping the installation of these lights, but the city has the authority to start designing what they will look like.

“We’re looking for a time in the spring before people see them,” Heaton said.

It will be easier to cross Highway 75 when the lights are on.

“On top of that, the city recently annexed lower Highway 75, so we filed a request that the speed limit be reduced to 45 mph a few miles outside of town,” Heaton said. “We hope this will slow this down so you’re not going 60 miles per hour coming into the intersection.”

Blair is also looking into making Washington Street more walkable in the future due to less traffic in the area. Heaton says progress is being made on building the northern ring road, but we’re about 10 years away from moving the soil.

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