County approves more traffic stops near new Costco in Northwest Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - With only one month away before the opening of the new Costco at 180th Street and West Maple Road, Douglas County Commissioners have unanimously approved plans to add more traffic signs in the area.

“There was some citizen input and also input from Costco, the city, and county administrators that certain types of calming devices in certain ways help traffic flow through there is pretty important,” Douglas County Commissioner Mike Friend said.

The input for Tuesday’s decision stemmed from concerns about an entrance into the Costco planned at 177th Avenue and Emmet Street.

To help flow traffic better, the county is putting in “Stop” and “Keep right” signs at 177th, 178th, 179th, and 180th avenues along Emmet Street.

Friend told 6 News they’ve learned from other existing Costco locations that traffic is an issue.

“We want to make sure the flow is consistent and the flow is predictable and there are no unintended consequences from that flow,” he said.

Friend said a neighborhood entrance is still required for the sake of connectivity. He’s also confident the traffic signs won’t slow down any progress for its opening date.

“They’re still putting down concrete and still widening things,” Friend said. “There’s a lot of things that have to happen within the next month and they’re working pretty diligently to get those things done.”

The county plans to start work for the traffic stops in the next few weeks.

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