Panhandle roads projects starting sooner
Posted: Sunday, May 04, 2008
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) -- Construction will begin sooner than originally planned for the Kimball Bypass along Interstate 80 and a stretch of the Heartland Expressway in western Nebraska, Gov. Dave Heineman said Saturday.
The state Department of Roads will award a contract for the bypass by Oct. 15 and for the portion of the expressway south of the Morrill-Box Butte county lines by August 2010, Heineman said.
The Kimball Bypass project will include grading, bridges, culverts and paving on a five-mile segment to the east of Kimball. The project will relocate northbound Nebraska Highway 71, beginning at the East Kimball Interchange at I-80, and end about three miles north of Kimball.
Design and bridge plans for the $25 million Kimball Bypass are finished. Grading work could begin as early as November, with work continuing through the winter on bridges and viaducts.
There are several steps necessary before beginning the Heartland Expressway project from the Morrill-Box Butte county line south to Angora, according to the roads department. Preliminary work, such as grading and culverts, originally planned for 2012, should now begin as early as fall 2010.
The 14.5-mile expressway stretch runs north from Angora to the county line on U.S. Highway 385. The $22.8 million project will involve building two new lanes west of the existing roadway for southbound traffic and resurfacing the existing two lanes for northbound traffic.
Construction on this portion of the Heartland Expressway will be over a two-year period and include culverts, grading, surfacing, surface shoulders, utility work, and realignment of county roads and drives.
The Legislature agreed this year to use $15 million from the state's Cash Reserve Fund to pay for road work. The money is to be used for highway projects that have already secured federal funding.
"The Heartland Expressway remains a long-term priority for our state and working with the Department of Roads and the newly designated funds, we are making progress," Heineman said.
Heineman said the federal government must continue to help.
"The federal government has a responsibility to help the states and the federal government should be a full partner, not a limited partner, in addressing roads infrastructure funding," he said.
Heineman said construction materials are increasing in cost by about 10 percent a year and that growing industrial countries such as China are creating heavy demand while the supply remains relatively flat.
Heineman said Nebraska needs to complement its user-fee model of funding road projects with other sources of funding.
"Increasing the gas tax is not a long-term solution that the majority of Nebraskans will support," he said.
The state Department of Roads will award a contract for the bypass by Oct. 15 and for the portion of the expressway south of the Morrill-Box Butte county lines by August 2010, Heineman said.
The Kimball Bypass project will include grading, bridges, culverts and paving on a five-mile segment to the east of Kimball. The project will relocate northbound Nebraska Highway 71, beginning at the East Kimball Interchange at I-80, and end about three miles north of Kimball.
Design and bridge plans for the $25 million Kimball Bypass are finished. Grading work could begin as early as November, with work continuing through the winter on bridges and viaducts.
There are several steps necessary before beginning the Heartland Expressway project from the Morrill-Box Butte county line south to Angora, according to the roads department. Preliminary work, such as grading and culverts, originally planned for 2012, should now begin as early as fall 2010.
The 14.5-mile expressway stretch runs north from Angora to the county line on U.S. Highway 385. The $22.8 million project will involve building two new lanes west of the existing roadway for southbound traffic and resurfacing the existing two lanes for northbound traffic.
Construction on this portion of the Heartland Expressway will be over a two-year period and include culverts, grading, surfacing, surface shoulders, utility work, and realignment of county roads and drives.
The Legislature agreed this year to use $15 million from the state's Cash Reserve Fund to pay for road work. The money is to be used for highway projects that have already secured federal funding.
"The Heartland Expressway remains a long-term priority for our state and working with the Department of Roads and the newly designated funds, we are making progress," Heineman said.
Heineman said the federal government must continue to help.
"The federal government has a responsibility to help the states and the federal government should be a full partner, not a limited partner, in addressing roads infrastructure funding," he said.
Heineman said construction materials are increasing in cost by about 10 percent a year and that growing industrial countries such as China are creating heavy demand while the supply remains relatively flat.
Heineman said Nebraska needs to complement its user-fee model of funding road projects with other sources of funding.
"Increasing the gas tax is not a long-term solution that the majority of Nebraskans will support," he said.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
