Going north, I-480 passes the Hanscom Park neighborhood to the west and the Vinton Street Commercial Historic District to the east.

The North Freeway was originally planned to be an Interstate Highway, "I-580", connecting northern Omaha to downtown, but this project was canceled with the interchange in midst of construction.

Farther east, it dips to the southeast near CHI Health Center Omaha, part of the NoDo neighborhood.

It conveniently crossed through the western and northern edges of Downtown Omaha, two areas city leaders had considered "blighted" since the 1930s.

The heavily Catholic, ethnic European neighborhoods the route went through rallied against the demolition of their homes, and the city's parks advocates provided resistance as well.

Eventually, the Interstate planners won out, and the city's historic Jefferson Square was demolished, as well as dozens of homes along the route.

[5] In 1999, a bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives that would have extended I-480 south along US 75 in southern Omaha and in Bellevue, Nebraska, then east through Plattsmouth to connect with I-29 near Glenwood, Iowa, which would have increased the length of I-480 to 19 miles (31 km).