Major changes are coming to a busy West Omaha intersection. While traffic improvements are welcome, staff and parents of a preschool worry about one piece of the puzzle.

The focus is on 156th and West Center Road and the staff at the Gingerbread House preschool is worried.

Doris Kirk, with Gingerbread House, says, "Bottom line is safety of the kids and we don't see what the city is proposing right now is in the kids' best interest."

City engineers say the widening of Bob Boozer Drive requires a center island and 11,000 northbound drivers a day won't be able to turn left into two entrances of the busy business plaza there.

If the island is built, it will force traffic coming to the businesses to travel right in front of the preschool.

Parents and their preschoolers crowd the parking lot four times a day.

Parent Lori Norris says, "People who don't know the traffic pattern will come the wrong way and we'll have a little kid walking with mom and it's just not safe."

But city engineers say it's not safe to cut an opening in the island for left turns.

Traffic engineer Todd Pfitzer says, "It leads to accidents, additional delays confusion and reduces capacity of our intersection."

City engineers say the island won't force more traffic in front of the preschool if the parking lot has a narrow one-way opening that the city will build. And northbound drivers will be allowed to make U-turns on Bob Boozer to avoid that entrance altogether.

Preschool staff member Sherry Lackovic says, "There's a bar in this location and beer trucks come through -- other delivery trucks come through."

Morning noon and afternoon 600 preschoolers come and go from the Gingerbread House.

City engineers say an island is required because state and federal money is involved in the project however the final decision hasn't been made on whether to put a left turn cut into the island for northbound traffic.

And here's some eye opening numbers showing the need for the 156th and West Center reconstruction. About 37,000 vehicles a day pass the intersection. Traffic experts predict in 20 years that number will jump to 77,000 cars and trucks.

Today's Numbers
Bob Boozer North – 11,000
156th South – 16,000
West Center East – 37,000
West Center West – 37,500

The 2028 forecast provided by MAPA
Bob Boozer North - 29,097
156th South – 28,977
West Center East – 77,194
West Center West – 61,010