South 14th Street, Old Cheney Road and Warlick Boulevard

Intersections Improvement Project

Updated April 2024

Plans to enhance the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s West Beltway are in progress and may impact the City’s South 14th Street, Old Cheney Road, and Warlick Boulevard intersection improvement project including current traffic volumes. Due to this development, the improvement project has been put on pause.

The project is located at the intersection of South 14th Street, Old Cheney Road and Warlick Boulevard in the City of Lincoln. The proposed intersection design will convert the existing five-way signalized intersection into a simplified multimodal intersection configuration. The at-grade intersection will serve Warlick Boulevard to the southwest, South 14th Street to the north and south, and Old Cheney Road to the east.

A section of Old Cheney Road will be removed between the existing connection to Warlick Boulevard and Salt Valley View. A new three-lane connector roadway is proposed between Old Cheney Road and Warlick Boulevard on the southwest side of Christ Place Church. The construction of a new box culvert under Warlick Boulevard is required to replace the undersized box culvert currently present. Roundabout configurations are the proposed traffic control at the intersections of the new roadway with both Old Cheney Road and Warlick Boulevard. The new roadway will be constructed as the first phase relative to the main intersection improvements.

The updated intersection design benefits include:

  • Improved safety
  • Increased traffic flow and capacity to serve more vehicles
  • New sidewalks and
    pedestrian connections
  • New traffic signals at South 14th Street and Old Cheney Road
  • Improved drainage
    system
  • New and improved
    trail crossings
  • Accommodations for
    future growth

Need

There is a growing need to expand the capacity of the intersection to serve more vehicles than it currently accommodates. This southwest portion of the city continues to see significant growth and development. Also, this intersection has been identified as needing safety improvements for drivers and multi-modal users to avoid potential future crashes and driver delays during rush hour periods.

Additionally, the pavement on Warlick Boulevard and South 14th Street to the north has served the traveling public well beyond its useful life and needs replaced. There is a need to create a cost-effective configuration that satisfies safety and operational criteria for the City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) while addressing the concerns of stakeholders and those impacted directly by reconstruction of the intersections.

Purpose

Intersection improvements are necessary to improve safety and capacity, streamline traffic flow to meet current and future growth needs in this area, accommodate area growth and business access, and meet updated stormwater and drainage requirements. An additional goal of the project is provide an improved and expanded sidewalk and trail network that serves the community now and into the future.

Existing Traffic Operations

S. 14th Street and Old Cheney Road serves over 40,000 vehicles per day.

  • S. 14th Street and Old Cheney Road currently operates at Level of Service E during the AM and PM peak hours.
  • Warlick Boulevard and Old Cheney Road currently operates at Level of Service C during the AM and PM peak hours.

Future Traffic Conditions

  • Traffic volumes anticipated to increase by 30%
  • Average intersection delay is anticipated to exceed 2 minutes in the future WITHOUT improvements
  • With proposed improvements, delay is expected to decrease by 56%
  • With proposed improvements, average intersection delay is not expected to exceed 1 minute

Environmental & Water Resources

The previous environmental analysis of the project area will be reviewed and additional evaluations may be conducted to help avoid or minimize potential environmental impacts.

Completed Studies

  • Cultural Resources Investigation
  • Floodplain Study
  • Habitat & Endangered
  • Species Review
  • Parks & Public Land Review
  • Socioeconomic Review
  • Traffic Noise Study
  • Water Resources Analysis
  • Wetland Delineation & Permitting

Cost

The improvement project is part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program that is funded by a variety of sources including:

  • Highway allocation funds
  • Street Improvement Vehicle Tax (wheel tax)
  • Impact fees

The updated intersection design is a financially feasible option for the City of Lincoln. The project cost is estimated to be $29.3 million. Final cost will be dependent upon economic conditions at the time of bidding. This includes design, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and contingencies.

Public Open House

A public open house was held on: Thursday, June 30, 2022 5:30 - 7:30 PM Lincoln Southwest High School

Meeting Handout  (PDF, 6MB) Meeting Displays  (PDF, 11MB)

Project Contact

Please contact the City of Lincoln with any questions or concerns you would like to share regarding the project.

  • Danielle Vachal, Design Project Manager

    City of Lincoln, LTU Project Delivery
    dvachal@lincoln.ne.gov
    531-289-8211