Visibility concerns at the Fremont roundabout have been addressed following 6 News’ investigation

FREMONT, Neb. (WOWT) – Safety concerns have been mounting for weeks in the middle of a roundabout that poses a direct visual hazard to drivers.

“Earlier this year you could see well, but now the weeds have grown and you have to look ahead and watch the traffic coming,” said Dana Verbeek, who drove through the roundabout that connects Highway 77 to Broad Street in Fremont .

Every driver has to give way and turn, but it’s harder to judge how quickly traffic is coming around the corner.

“They didn’t have enough reaction time and just cut the corner,” said Dave Campbell, another driver.

Dave and Dana have a property nearby and drive through the roundabout once a day, if not more often.

“Just watch the traffic,” Dana said. “The weeds are blocking it, so it could be a little dangerous.”

The Nebraska Department of Transportation is paying a private contractor to mow, which county engineer Thomas Goodbarn said was slowed by this spring’s wet weather.

6 News relayed residents’ visual concerns to Goodbarn and within hours he had a mower on site to address this safety hazard.

The state used one of its mowers instead of waiting for the private contractor to catch up. Goodbarn says the issue needed to be addressed immediately after 6 News contacted them. It only took about three hours to resolve the issue.

“Especially with smaller profile vehicles, we want to maximize the ability to see around corners. In this case, the focus is on getting to a sensitive area and making it safe. “That’s why we’re happy about the information,” said Goodbarn.

However, the state mower did not stop at this busy roundabout. Tall grass on both sides of the three-mile southeastern bypass has also been mowed, and two more roundabouts are being mowed at the other end of the bypass.

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