Lincoln business celebrates 56th street construction progress with massive sign

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – After months of construction at the intersection of 56th street and Pioneers boulevard, a nearby business is celebrating the project’s progress in a unique way.

A colorful display of individual letters stand tall near the intersection, spelling out “Look, you can turn left,” with instructions to honk and cheer.

The sign was paid for by The Lexington Assisted Living Center, a facility that has prime view of the busy intersection.

Owner Stacey Whitney says putting the sign up is her way of putting smiles on the faces of drivers after months of frustration.

“As you can see and you can hear, its been very loud and stressful for all the people driving by,” said Whitney.

She says the noise is one thing, but the honking is another. A noise that people living in the facility have come to support.

“On top of that, the one way in- the one way out, nobody can come down 56th and easily turn and come into the building,” said Whitney, “the change of the traffic patterns have been interesting.”

She says she’s talked with the construction workers on site, project managers and LTU many times. Once the ability to turn left came back, it was a pleasant surprise.

“I didn’t get any notice when it happened, just one day as my staff was coming in, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh! I can turn,’ and that was a really big deal,” said Whitney, “We just wanted to rejoice with the local community, like ‘hey, look, there’s an end to all of this chaos.'”

The sign was installed by the local business Card My Yard, who came to put the sign up early Wednesday morning.

The mastermind behind the idea was Julie Andresen, who has been the leasing and marketing director for the assisted living facility for nearly 19 years.

She says this sign isn’t their first one.

“We hired Card My Yard after Covid to thank them for vaccinating,” said Andresen. “And then we’ve done birthdays.”

She said it’s way to communicate with the community and give everyone a chance to join in.

“It’s just a positive way to start your day, end your day, a talking point really,” she said. “We just love what we do here.”

The Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department said the 56th street project may be long, but it’s “incredibly needed” and will take time.

They recommend community members sign up for their newest service called TextLNK to get updates on active projects.