‘It’s become a drag strip for many cars’: Concerns raised over traffic at 27th and Rokeby Road

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Community members gathered at Culler Middle School on Thursday night for the Plan Forward Open House.

It’s aimed at letting the community provide feedback on ways to improve the city.

One of those ways is the quality of Lincoln roads. Several people have left requests for local street conditions that they feel need updating.

One area of concern is at 27th and Rokeby Road, where three crashes have occurred in the past year. Last month, one person was hit and killed.

Lyle Hervert lives in that area and is asking for change.

“On 27th and Rokeby, that intersection needs to be completely redone,” Hervert said. “If they want to add stop signs there, that would be a good starting point. Maybe slow it down a bit, it’s straight and narrow and has become a drag strip for many cars.”

Since 2015, traffic in the area has increased by nearly 400%, with an average of over 12,000 cars per day on South 27th Street.

The Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department said they are aware of it, and it’s one of many areas they want to improve, hoping to add sidewalks and stop signs.

“We have many gaps across the community on different sidewalks that we do want to work through,” said Liz Elliot, LTU’s Director. “We have a few on the north side, and some on the south side as well. It’s an area we’re aware of, and we want to do what we can to get it completed.”

It’s not clear when or if that would be completed. But this map on the city’s website highlights projects that are planned, completed, or under construction across the city.

Right now, 27th and Rokeby Road is not on the map.