Dodge Street is the main east–west street in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
. Numbered as
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), the street starts in
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...
and connects to West Dodge Road just west of 78th Street. From there, it continues westward through the remainder of
Douglas County.
About
Dodge Street was named for influential Iowa
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Augustus C. Dodge
Augustus Caesar Dodge (January 2, 1812November 20, 1883) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic delegate to the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa Territory, a U.S. minister to Spain, and o ...
. Dodge was a strong supporter of
westward expansion
The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independe ...
beyond the
Missouri River to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
who originally introduced the bill which led to the
Kansas-Nebraska Act. Sources frequently erroneously list the street's namesake as
Grenville Dodge, the chief engineer for the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
. Six miles of Dodge were paved with
macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...
in June 1894; however, by 1917 citizens were circulating a petition for the road to be
graded.
Dodge Street serves as the dividing point between North and South street addresses in Omaha. The street features
reversible lane
A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...
s from 30th Street to 69th Street to accommodate
commuter traffic in and out of downtown. From the late 1950s through the late 1980s Dodge Street from 60th through 80th Streets was the main strip for
cruising in Omaha. The
City of Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
ended this practice in the early 1990s, when it enacted a law prohibiting
U-turn
A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as a m ...
s from 8pm to midnight.
Route
![US 6 in Omaha, NE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/US_6_in_Omaha%2C_NE.jpg)
Dodge Street begins as a westbound one-way
offramp
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...
from
I-480 Interstate 480 may refer to:
* Interstate 480 (Nebraska–Iowa), a loop through Omaha, Nebraska into Council Bluffs, Iowa
*Interstate 480 (Ohio), a loop through Cleveland, Ohio
* Interstate 480 (California), the former Embarcadero Freeway in San Fra ...
right after it crosses the
Missouri River from
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. Traveling through
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...
, this stretch begins the route of the former
Lincoln Highway in Omaha. Along it are several buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, including the
Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery, Inc.
The Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery is located at 901 Dodge Street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska.
It is a brick five-story commercial style warehouse with terra cotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an ear ...
at 901 Dodge Street, The Logan at 1804 Dodge Street, and the Simon Brothers Company at 1024 Dodge Street. The street was once lined by the
Old Post Office. Accommodating
U.S. 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic, veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast fr ...
it conjoins with Douglas Street at 30th Street to hold five lanes of two-way traffic.
At approximately 45th Street the 1934
Saddle Creek Underpass
The Saddle Creek Underpass is located in the Midtown area of Omaha, Nebraska. Designed to carry Saddle Creek Road under Dodge Street (US 6), the underpass was constructed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration. It was included on the Bridg ...
takes Saddle Creek Road under Dodge Street. It is included on the Bridges in Nebraska Multiple Property Submission.
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
is a
historic neighborhood in
Midtown Omaha
Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic residenc ...
centered near 50th and Dodge Streets. Originally a separate city, Dundee was
annexed
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
by Omaha in 1915. The
University of Nebraska Omaha
The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...
and
Crossroads Mall are located at 72nd and Dodge Streets.
West Dodge Road
West Dodge Road is one of the main east–west streets in
West Omaha West Omaha is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska, that comprises all points within the Omaha metropolitan area west of 90th Street.
Communities
West Omaha is home to several communities, including the historical Boys Town. Ralston, a city in s ...
. Beginning immediately west of 78th Street, the main six-lane road curves northwest, aligning itself with Cass Street. At this point Dodge Street itself continues up the hill (between Methodist Hospital and
Children's Hospital
A children's hospital is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In certain special cases, they may also treat adults. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th ...
) and terminates at 84th Street.
West Dodge Expressway
Before
Westroads Mall
Westroads Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska at the intersection of 100th and Dodge Streets ( U.S. Route 6). It is the largest mall in Nebraska. The mall's anchor stores are The Container Store, Von Maur, JCPenney, Dick's Sport ...
and the
Regency community, West Dodge Road becomes a
controlled-access
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
at 96th Street (eastbound, stop lights do not begin until 90th), with an elevated
local-express lane segment from
I-680 through 132nd Street. The West Dodge freeway travels west by
Boys Town and
Elkhorn.
At 204th Street (
Nebraska Highway 31
Nebraska Highway 31 is a highway in Nebraska. The southern terminus is near Louisville at an intersection with Nebraska Highway 50. The northern terminus is near Kennard at an intersection with U.S. Highway 30. The highway serves as a main nort ...
), U.S. 6 exits to turn south towards
Gretna and the freeway becomes
Nebraska Link 28B
Nebraska Link 28B (L-28B) is a connecting link (Nebraska), connecting link highway which connects U.S. Route 275 west of Omaha to U.S. Route 6 (Nebraska), U.S. Route 6 in Omaha. The highway is a long part of a freeway which stretches to Fremont, ...
. At 240th Street, the freeway turns north towards
Fremont as part of
U.S. Route 275
U.S. Route 275 (US 275) is a north–south United States highway that is a branch of US 75. It originally terminated at US 75 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highway's northern terminus is in O'Neill, Nebraska, at an intersection with U.S. Hig ...
.
Exit List
History
Omaha's Capitol Hill was originally located at the intersection of 20th and Dodge, at the building where the
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...
legislature convened. The steep grade of Dodge Street was reduced from 12% to 7% in the 1920s, dramatically altering the face of the grounds surrounding
Omaha Central High School
Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, is a fully accredited public high school located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is one of many public high schools located in Omaha. As of the 2015-16 academic year, ...
. The original
Boys Town was opened on West Dodge Road in 1921, and the
Joslyn Art Museum
The Joslyn Art Museum is the principal fine arts museum in the state of Nebraska, United States. Located in Omaha, it was opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. It is the only m ...
opened at 26th and Dodge in 1931. Omaha's notable
Saddle Creek Underpass
The Saddle Creek Underpass is located in the Midtown area of Omaha, Nebraska. Designed to carry Saddle Creek Road under Dodge Street (US 6), the underpass was constructed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration. It was included on the Bridg ...
was built to facilitate traffic along Dodge Street by the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
in 1934. The
Memorial Park Pedestrian Bridge was completed in 1968.
The expressway was opened in 2006.
West Dodge Road info.
Nebraska State Department of Roads. Retrieved 3/27/08.
See also
*
* Transportation in Omaha
Transportation in Omaha, Nebraska, includes most major modes, such as pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, train and airplane. While early transportation consisted of ferries, stagecoaches, steamboats, street railroads, and railroads, the city's ...
References
External links
Dodge Street
- Looking west on Dodge Street from 30th Street in 1889
{{Omaha transport
Streets in Omaha, Nebraska
U.S. Route 6