New School Zone Speed Limits Begin December 23

Published on December 21, 2020

Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) today announced that new school zone speed limits will begin December 23 around five schools.  LTU crews will install new 20-mph speed limit signs as part of the citywide school zone enhancement project to improve safety and traffic flow in school zones and to meet national standards and best practices.

The 20-mph school speed limit will be in force when children are present or when indicated by a school zone flashing beacon. The first five schools and affected streets include:

  • Humann Elementary, 6720 Rockwood Lane: Rockwood and Fir Hollow lanes
  • St. Peter Catholic School, 4500 Duxhall Drive:  Duxhall Drive, South 45th and South 46th streets
  • Rousseau Elementary School, 3701 South 33rd Street:  Calvert and South 33rd streets
  • Dawes Middle School, 5130 Colfax Avenue:  Colfax Avenue, North 49th and North 52nd streets
  • St. Patrick Catholic School, 4142 North 61st Street:  North 61st and North 62nd streets, Ballard and Morrill avenues

According to Lincoln Municipal Code, children are considered present when:

  • Occupying or walking within a marked crosswalk
  • Waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway and are about to cross the roadway by means of a marked crosswalk
  • Walking along the roadway, either on the adjacent sidewalk or, in the absence of sidewalks, on the shoulder or in the right-of-way

“The school zone speed limit changes are based on recommendations from the 2018 Lincoln School Zone Study,” said Liz Elliott, LTU Director. “The selection of these initial five schools was based on the least amount of additional financial investment, which allows us to begin improving safety for children as soon as possible.”

Lincoln Public Schools classes begin Tuesday, January 5, 2021. The next speed limit changes and school zone improvements are planned for summer 2021 will be announced as the projects are scheduled. This multi-year project will evaluate 83 public and private schools in Lincoln.  A completion date of all projects will depend on programming and funding.

For more information on the City of Lincoln School Zone Standards, visit traffic.lincoln.ne.gov or contact Dan Carpenter, LTU Traffic Engineering at 402-318-2080 or dcarpenter@lincoln.ne.gov.