‘Let’s get it fixed’: Neighborhood sees months of construction delays
Jordan Kaaa said the sidewalks near her home have been unwalkable ever since construction started after a water main break in September.
By Quanecia Fraser
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OMAHA (KETV) — It’s a neighborhood street, but parts of North 40th Street from Pinkney to Pratt are a construction zone.
“There’s no way to get around, except for to circle blocks,” Jordan Kaaa told KETV Investigates.
Kaaa lives near the stretch of road.
“There’s a lot of walkers, there’s a lot of kids who walk from school. There’s a lot of people that walk around, they just don’t have transportation — they walk to and from work, and there’s just not a safe way for them to walk,” she said.
Kaaa said the sidewalks near her home have been unwalkable ever since construction started after a water main break in September.
“And even during the winter when the roads are slick, that was like– it was scary because who knows who’s going to fall in a hole,” she said.
Crews were able to fix the water main but it broke several times after. Kaaa said the street has been looking the way it does ever since.
“I don’t know what they’re actually doing. Or what the process is or… what’s going on but six months has been long enough,” she said.
In an e-mail to KETV Investigates, Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) said part of the street washed out from the water main break. MUD determined the entire water main had to be upgraded and started an infrastructure replacement project in mid-November.
An MUD spokesperson said quote “The project was estimated to take several months, however due to various delays, the project timeline was extended.”
“It causes traffic to be really– sometimes bogged up right there in the intersection because people don’t know where to go and they’re waiting on other cars, and sometimes the traffic will back way up to the top of the hill,” Kaaa said.
Kaaa said she’s ready for the street to go back to being two ways and to not have to deal with what she calls a mess.
“Let’s get it fixed,” she said Monday. “Let’s get it fixed.”
MUD says it expects to finish the water main work and service connections within the next two to three weeks if weather cooperates. It says the City of Omaha will complete street repairs and paving.
“M.U.D. understands construction delays are frustrating and apologizes for the inconvenience to residents. M.U.D. appreciates customers’ ongoing cooperation as our crews finish their work as safely and efficiently as possible,” Tracey Christensen added.
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