Truckers, citizens, to benefit from new truck route diverting traffic from downtown

Plans for a new bypass will soon bring about an easier route for truck drivers and a quieter life for citizens just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. 

Main Street in Blair, Nebraska currently serves as the only route for any trucks coming through the area, causing safety hazards for residents and a stressful route for truck drivers. Just last year, an 11-year-old-boy was accidentally struck and killed by a semi truck while riding his bike across Main Street at an intersection.

“Over the road trucks, all the local trucks, all the farm trucks, basically have to go through that one mile stretch through the downtown area,” said Al Shoemaker, Director of Public Works in Blair.

“We’re always having to watch our backs and make sure that our doors aren’t getting ripped off and we’re not gonna get pinned against our cars,” said Ashley Matzen, a Blair resident to News 6.

You talk to a lot of businesses when trucks go by their windows shake, their doors shake,” said Matzen.

Now, Blair’s Public Works Director says that plans for a new bypass have been solidified thanks to a $7.5 million federal grant. The Blair bypass will be built on the south side of town, spanning from Highway 30 to Highway 75.

 If all goes according to schedule, exact plans for the bypass will begin by October of 2021 with an expected start date sometime during the spring of 2022.