Frequently missed turn leaves driver stuck in a ditch in east Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A truck that was hauling vehicles ended up in a ditch Wednesday morning after missing his turn onto Highway 2, forcing him to make a tight turn around.

Lisette Parks lives three houses down from where the driver attempted to turn around on 120th Court.

She and her husband attempted to help the driver out of the ditch, but couldn’t because the vehicles were too heavy.

The driver, Jordanes Pierresant, said the highway’s lack of signs is a huge inconvenience for him and other drivers who have places to be.

“I have a delivery in Missouri, two for Georgia and two more going to Miami,” he said, “By the time, I’m going to lose more than $2,000.”

He said he’s not the only driver who was forced to turn around after missing the turn.

“Not only me this morning. I saw more than three cars this morning do the same thing,” he said. “So it’s something. We need to fix it.”

Parks said she sees about 15 to 20 drivers miss their turn to get on the Highway 2 bypass each day, forcing them to turn around on private properties, like hers.

“We experience a lot of traffic out here that has missed the turnoff. Then they have to turn around. They do so in private driveways, or they do so tearing up the shoulders of the road. These have been repaired, but they’re ruined in a day after they’re repaired,” she said.

She also mentioned GPS hasn’t been updated and some drivers miss the signs that tell them where to go.

“There are markings on the road, and we really appreciate that, however, these marks are obscured by traffic, so if there is a semi in the lane next to you, it’s covering up the directions of where you need to go or where you need to turn,” she said. “There is one overhead sign, but it occurs too late and drivers don’t have the opportunity to change lanes and get into the turning lane.”

Another neighbor said her mailbox gets knocked over by truckers turning around in her driveway nearly every day. Sometimes, multiple times a day.

She and Lisette both want a solution.

“It’s an ongoing problem and we simply need more signage,” Parks said. “We need a double-posted, over-highway sign early in the road.”

The Nebraska Department of Transportation said it made sign adjustments, which include doubling the number of signs and putting up an overhead sign on Highway 2.

They also said it’s also coordinating with navigation systems to ensure they’re being updated correctly.

For now, NDOT said it will continue to evaluate the area for potential improvements.