Underpass work to delay emergency response

Next month's scheduled closure of the 13th Ave. underpass will likely slow emergency response times.

The underpass will be barricaded temporarily as part of the Illinois street road project that has already affected 13th Ave. and Illinois St. traffic in all four directions.

"In regards to the police, their plans are to have one officer on the north side at all times," said John Hehnke, Sidney's Emergency Director.

The city is looking at ways to speed up the construction timeline in order to ease the pain likely to be caused by re-routing traffic away from the underpass. If everything goes as planned, the stretch of 13th Ave. cutting under the Union Pacific rail line should be closed for no more than seven days, Hehnke said.

"We're still on target for the first full week of August," Hehnke continued.

Unfortunately, other emergency personnel will be forced to take the same detour on Greenwood Road like the rest of the general public.

In the past, there was an emergency crossing at 10th Avenue, but it was closed by the railroad some time ago, Hehnke said.

"I really don't believe it'll slow us down that much," said Ron Leal, with emergency management. "I don't foresee it taking that much more time. But you never know."

The police have dealt with short closures of the underpass in the past, due to flooding after heavy rainfall, including once this spring.

"We are going to try and keep an officer on both sides of town as much as we can," reported Acting Police Chief Joseph Aikens.

The closure will slow down response times, he added. But with the emergency at grate crossing now gone, the detour will add around a mile to the route to get to the north side.

Leal believes that the underpass closure will also cause a temporary inconvenience to anyone who has to travel between the north and south sides.

"It's not a straight shot like we have now," he said.