New Committee Wants To Delay South Lincoln Roundabout

(KFOR NEWS December 2, 2019) A newly formed group proposing to delay construction and further spending on the 14th and Warlick Roundabout project has filed a petition seeking a public vote on the issue. The Sensible Streets for Lincoln Committee filed the petition with the City Clerk on November 27th. The Committee will need approximately 8,500 valid signatures from Lincoln voters to get the issue on the ballot.

“We’ve heard from a significant number of people questioning why the City is spending so much money on a project with an untested design” said Peter Katt, spokesman for the group.

Katt said the group is not trying to kill the project. Rather, he says, they want to wait until the South Beltway is finished. “We don’t know what the specific traffic counts for the 14th and Warlick intersection will be after the new South Beltway is constructed” said Katt.

The City has announced that the roundabout will cost approximately $36 to $40 Million dollars. Katt says, however, the amount does not include several costs, such as additional right-of-way acquisition, relocating businesses, or utility relocation. “The overall cost to Lincoln taxpayers is likely to exceed the amount taxpayers paid for the entire South Beltway, which was $50 million.”

Katt said the group hopes to gather the needed signatures and submit them to the City Clerk by the end of January. The City Council must approve the question by March 2 if it’s to be included on the May 12 election ballot.