OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — At a recent campaign event, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert made a claim that the city has fewer potholes now than in years past.
- “What we are seeing, even though this is a light winter, is fewer potholes than we had in the past because I wanted a fix to the roads — a solution. I just didn’t want to keep on with the band-aid solution of filling potholes.”
- Since the 2020 bond was passed, Stothert says 1,000 lane miles out of 5,000 in Omaha have been rehabilitated.
- Mayor Stothert says her goal is to resurface all 5,000 lane miles in Omaha every 20 years.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
From warm and sunny to cold, snowy, and windy — it’s the perfect recipe for potholes to form. I’m Jill Lamkins, outside the newsroom.
On Tuesday, at a press conference where Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Boseman announced she’d be endorsing Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert in her re-election, the mayor claimed that the city has fewer potholes now than in years past.
“What we are seeing, even though this is a light winter, is fewer potholes than we had in the past because I wanted a fix to the roads — a solution. I just didn’t want to keep on with the band-aid solution of filling potholes.”
So, I’m digging into the data and putting this campaign claim to the test.
Mayor Stothert says one of her priorities since becoming mayor has been improving roads.
According to the City of Omaha, in May 2020, voters approved a $200 million bond issue, creating the Street Preservation Fund specifically for street repair.
In November 2024, voters approved a second bond to continue the program with $192 million.
Since the 2020 bond was passed, Stothert says 1,000 lane miles out of 5,000 in Omaha have been rehabilitated.
I couldn’t confirm this exact number, but I did find a project list showing over 230 projects have been completed, with over 40 in active repairs. In 2025, 41 more projects are planned to resurface or replace more than 150 lane miles of Omaha streets.
Mayor Stothert says her goal is to resurface all 5,000 lane miles in Omaha every 20 years.
