Lincoln business ‘nervous’ about Project O Street; city says it will work to limit impacts

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A downtown improvement project is meant to make O Street more walkable, safer and more modern.

But for businesses lining the sidewalks, Project O Street means months or years of construction right at their front door.

Some business owners are concerned about losing customers.

“We’re just nervous as a business about the project that’s going to be taking place,” said Omar Attaie, owner of Pita & Naan near O Street and Centennial Mall.

The restaurant posted its concerns on Facebook, asking for clear timelines for sidewalk closures, visible signage to direct customers and open communication from the city.

“They mentioned that they were going to be closing streets and sidewalks during the project,” Attaie said. “A lot of our business comes from the lunch period, so if the sidewalks are closed, a lot of us are concerned about how that will impact our lunch rush.”

SEE ALSO: Lincoln unveils $35 million project to improve O Street downtown

Project O Street will start late this fall, after the last home Husker football game.

It’s expected to last two years but will be split in three phases, according to the Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department.

The first phase, which is the part in front of Pita & Naan, is expected to take about a year.

“We want to get in, get out and get done with this,” LTU Director Elizabeth Elliott said.

City officials said they’ll work to keep the community informed, but with a project of this size, some disruptions are inevitable.

“That’s why we’re starting to reach out early here in mid-August through the next month on meeting with the businesses and understanding their needs and how we can help them through construction,” Elliott said.

But some businesses along O Street said they’re happy about the upcoming project.

The owner of A Novel Idea Bookstore, Cinnamon Dokken, said in a statement she’s “excited about this investment in our community.”

For now, business owners wait for more details and hope that when the dust clears, the new O Street will be worth the wait.

“We’re just hoping that in the short term while this project is going on people wont avoid us, people will continue to come eat lunch here and eat dinner here and that it helps us and the local businesses that are downtown,” Attaie said.