Residents urge action as truck traffic, noise and safety concerns persist on Broad Street

Dozens of residents asked the Fremont City Council on Monday to take stronger action to reduce heavy truck traffic, noise and safety risks on North Broad Street, saying the thoroughfare behaves like a highway through a neighborhood.

At a study session portion of the meeting Don Atwell, who has lived at 1650 North Broad Street for more than 45 years, said the city should reduce the speed limit to 25 mph and add four‑way stops at Linden/16th and 19th streets. "Isn't it reasonable to invest $62,000,000 of taxpayer money on a roadway designed specifically to relieve traffic on an existing through route...to see no appreciable reduction in traffic?" Atwell asked, arguing the city should do more to protect residential quality of life.

Several other residents testified they routinely count multiple tractor‑trailers per minute and described frequent jake braking, speeding and noise that they say disrupts sleep and damages homes. "In the 10 minutes I sat at my office to write this memo, there were 19 tractor trailers that drove by," said Ellen Lund, who has lived on Broad Street since 1977.

Business owners told the council they rely on Broad Street for deliveries and warned blunt traffic restrictions could harm local operations. Michael Arps, president of Arps Ready Mix, said the route is essential for daily deliveries and that rerouting heavy vehicles around the bypass could impose substantial burdens on local businesses.

Staff explained legal and logistical limits to immediate action. Dan Gillis, public works director, noted Broad Street (US Highway 77 in parts) is listed in the city's long‑range transportation plan and, under the existing relinquishment agreement, the state retains legal title and certain rights even where the city has jurisdiction to design and maintain the road. "We do have to coordinate with the state and federal highway administration depending on what it is we wanted to do with this segment of road," Gillis said.

Jeff Elliott, Fremont chief of police, outlined enforcement problems: the street has limited safe parking for traffic stops, heavy traffic volume complicates mobile enforcement, and the department lacks the manpower to sustain frequent enforcement details. "You can pass all the laws you like...but I think at the end everybody is going to be disappointed because I don't think that we're going to be able to do what everyone wants us to do," Elliott said.

Council members acknowledged the urgency but said there is no single easy fix. Councilman Blair Horner urged continued work toward posting signs and implementing a no‑through‑trucks ordinance where feasible, but said enforcement without adequate notification or posted signage would be unfair to drivers. Several members suggested an informal working group composed of council members, staff, residents and business representatives to develop options that could include targeted signage outside city jurisdiction, dual speed limits for trucks, special enforcement events or an identification/permit system for local deliveries.

The council did not adopt any ordinance during the session; members asked staff to continue outreach to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, to consider short‑term enforcement events if staffing permits, and to report back with options after the city's Safe Streets study is completed this summer.