Metro Area Travel Improvement Study (MTIS)

SUBSCRIBE TO MTIS UPDATES

 

What is MTIS?

 

From 2014 through 2019, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) collaboratively conducted the Metro Area Travel Improvement Study (MTIS), a study that evaluated the Omaha area’s transportation network, including roads, bike and pedestrian facilities, and transit. The purpose of MTIS was to develop a high-level, multi-modal plan for the interstate and major roadways in the region.

 

MTIS was conducted in coordination with other regional planning studies and projects and in collaboration with Metro, City of Omaha, City of Papillion, City of Bellevue, City of La Vista, City of Council Bluffs, the Iowa Department of Transportation, Douglas and Sarpy County, and FHWA. The study area included 83 miles of interstate freeway, 39 miles of other freeways/expressways, 180 miles of state highways, and 176 miles of local roads.

 

Ultimately, MTIS recommended a variety of potential multimodal projects to meet the overarching MTIS goals of:

 

Achieve a state-of-good-repair by prioritizing projects that address timely and cost-beneficial asset rehabilitation.

 

Reduce the growth of peak-period delay on freeways and improve system reliability and overall performance.

 

Reduce the growth of peak-period travel times for all modes, and increase transit access and ridership.

Address air quality concerns, consider land use in all improvements, and incorporate economic, social, and environmental criteria in project selection and programming decisions.

 

Reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on the strategies, potential projects were developed to meet MTIS goals. Projects were then evaluated across a variety of technical criteria that included:

 

    • Safety
    • Traffic
    • Operations
    • Right-of-way
    • Constructability
    • Construction Costs
    • Potential Environmental Issues
    • Financial Constraints of Local & State Agencies

 

 

This evaluation prioritized potential projects into short and longer-term implementation phases that could occur from 2025 – 2030, 2030 – 2035, 2035 – 2040, and 2040 – 2045.

 

While MTIS provided project recommendations for multi-modal projects, including local and state roads, bike and facilities, and transit, NDOT is responsible for implementing transportation roadway projects on state highways and interstates.

 

 

 

 

 

How do MTIS recommendations become NDOT projects that may ultimately get constructed?

 

MTIS is the first of many steps in NDOT’s planning, project development, and implementation process that must occur before a project can be constructed. NDOT’s project delivery process includes multiple review milestones and decision points. The outcome of this process means a project ultimately may or may not get constructed. Project delivery typically occurs over several years and includes opportunities for public input at key project milestones within the process.

 

Project delivery timeframes provided are generalized to illustrate the project delivery process. Some timeframes may become shorter or longer depending on a variety of factors, such as funding or project need.

 

 

What types of improvements is NDOT implementing?

 

 

 

System Preservation

 

NDOT is programming system preservation improvements recommended in the MTIS study for further study and engineering. System preservation projects improve, sustain, or restore the condition of the state highway system. Specifically, this type of work effectively maximizes the lifespan of existing infrastructure. System preservation projects typically include:

 

    • Full roadway reconstruction
    • Mill and overlay, which removes the top surface of the roadway for a new layer of asphalt
    • Diamond grinding, which restores pavement by smoothing irregularities on concrete
    • Minor maintenance activities to repair joints and seal cracks or chips in pavement

 

System preservation projects are recommended to occur on all major Omaha metropolitan highways and interstates, including I-80, I-480, I-680, US-75, and the West Dodge Expressway.

 

 

Expansion Improvements

 

NDOT is also programming expansion improvements recommended in MTIS for further study and engineering. Expansion improvements address operational deficiencies identified through the MTIS process. Generally, these types of projects improve operations or add capacity to freeway corridors by adding additional lanes to a roadway. Expansion projects typically include:

 

    • New construction (additional capacity, turn lanes, interchanges)
    • Bridge widening or replacement
    • Property acquisitions
    • Traffic signals
    • Noise walls
    • Retaining walls

 

Expansion projects were recommended to occur on all major Omaha metropolitan highways and interstates, including I-80, I-480, I-680, US-75 and the West Dodge Expressway.

 

 

 

 

Stay Involved

 

 

Learn more about MTIS

NDOT has begun initiating some NDOT-led projects that were recommended in MTIS. As NDOT begins that process, updates will continue to be posted on this webpage. Projects that have been created as part of MTIS are listed below.

 

 

FISCAL YEAR* 2025

  • I-80 WB, Q St. – Giles Road (NH-80-9(202); C.N. 22853)
  • I-480 Bridges, Woolworth – St. Marys Ave. (NH-480-9(13); C.N. 22854)
  • I-80 and 186th Diverging Diamond Interchange**

FISCAL YEAR* 2026

  • N-50 Ramp, Omaha (NH-80-9(201); C.N. 22850)
  • Pacific – Dodge, Omaha (NH-680-9(52); C.N. 22852)

FISCAL YEAR* 2027

  • 50th – I-480, Omaha (NH-80-9(203); C.N. 22855)

 

If you would like to learn more about the overall MTIS effort, including the final study report, visit MAPA's website.

 

*State Fiscal Year is July 1 – June 30

**Interchange type and exact location have yet to be determined.  Please visit the project website for more information.

 

Public Information Meeting Held January 5, 2022.

 

Metro Area Travel Improvement Study – US-75 Mainline Reconstruction and Expansion project and 24th Street Bridge Replacement and Interchange Removal project

 

 

Materials for the public meeting on January 5, 2022.

 

 

 

Submit a Comment

Contact Us