In an effort to slow traffic on Emile Street, two speed tables will be installed. The construction project will begin the week of Nov. 15 and should take from four to six weeks to complete.
The speed tables will be located adjacent to the Lot 50 parking structure entrance and just to the east of The Lied Transplant Center. There have been numerous complaints that motorists travel too fast on Emile Street. The City of Omaha performed a traffic study and found that a significant number of motorists are traveling in excess of the posted 25 miles per hour speed limit. The excess speeds were fast enough along Emile Street to warrant traffic calming measures according to city standards.
Speed tables differ from speed bumps. A speed table is a gradual incline designed to alert motorists to keep their speed to a minimum. A speed table consists of a gradual incline for 9 feet, followed by a 10 foot plateau and another 9 foot gradual decline. The speed tables will span the width of Emile Street.
The city will remove the existing traffic light east of the Durham Outpatient Center entrance, but leave the crosswalks and the four-way stop sign at Emile and Durham Research Plaza (45th Street). Another cross walk will be installed near the entrance of the University Surgical Center in the SSP building. The city will also put up new signage along Emile Street.
The speed limit will remain at 25 miles per hour on Emile, with the exception of the speed table zones where the speed limit will be 15 miles per hour. In the construction zones traffic may be restricted to one lane. Motorists should be aware of the construction zones and decrease speed accordingly.
The second phase of the project will be to slow traffic on 42nd Street, from Leavenworth to Dodge streets. The second phase, which will get underway in the spring, is currently in the planning stage.
There are approximately 76,000 trips to/through campus each day, according to Ron Schaefer, director, UNMC Facilities Planning & Construction. Of that total, 45,000 trips are made directly to campus, the other 31,000 are cut-through trips. Schaefer says the main goal of the project is to reduce the speed of motorists as they travel to or through campus.