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Council awards Thirteenth Street walkability study to Olsen Inc.; business groups urge road redesign
Summary
The City Council approved a professional services agreement for the South Thirteenth Street Walkability Study, with local business-improvement groups urging the study to consider a road diet and safety improvements.
The Omaha City Council on July 7 approved a professional services agreement with Olsen Inc. to perform a new walkability study for South Thirteenth Street, an update to a 2018 corridor study. Local business-improvement organizations and design advocates told the council they support the update and urged that the study consider roadway reconfiguration and other safety improvements.
Speakers included Louis Smith of the Little Bohemia Business Improvement District and Scott Dobby of Omaha by Design. Smith said the district seeks safer conditions on Thirteenth Street as businesses and new housing have grown; Dobby recommended considering a three-lane configuration (a road diet) to calm traffic and improve safety and pedestrian experience. Council members said the study will reflect recent development and new mobility modes such as e-bikes and scooters and instructed staff to proceed.
The council approved the contract on a 7-0 vote. The study will guide design decisions and is intended to balance traffic throughput with pedestrian safety, small-business vitality and multimodal access.
