LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Road construction projects that have languished for decades got a $450 million boost Monday as Gov. Pete Ricketts signed an ambitious plan that seeks to finish Nebraska’s expressway system by 2033 and repair thousands of unstable bridges.
The plan will create what’s known as an infrastructure bank to finance the work, drawing $50 million from the state’s cash reserve and using additional revenue from a gas tax increase approved last year. Besides the money for highways and bridges, the package also includes some financing to improve road conditions around new businesses.
“This is a big, big, day for the state of Nebraska,” said Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, who sponsored the bill. “It’s a big day for commerce in our state, for creating the jobs, allowing businesses to expand, giving reason for businesses to locate in Nebraska and providing infrastructure that is safe for our families to drive on.”
The League of Nebraska Municipalities, Nebraska Association of County Officials and Nebraska business and community leaders praised the measure as vital for economic development.
Dirk Petersen, manager of Nucor Steel in Norfolk and chairman of the transportation advocacy organization 4 Lanes 4 Nebraska, said the bill represents a rare collaboration among state, county and business leaders.
“I’ve been in other states, and it doesn’t always work this way,” Petersen said.
Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials, said he is encouraged by the executive branches’ acknowledgement of county infrastructure for statewide success.
“If we are not able to move those agricultural products from farm to market when we go down those county roads and across those bridges to get to those expressways, we have failed,” Dix said.
Department of Roads Director Kyle Schneweis said counties will be able to apply for matching state funds for bridge repair as early as this fall. Nebraska has 11,147 bridges on the county system. According to the Department of Roads, 185 are closed and thousands more have specific weight restrictions, require maintenance or repair.
Schneweis said the bill also permits the department to use a design-build process for expressway construction. The new framework permits contractors and builders to work simultaneously, “cutting red tape” and allowing projects to be completed two to four years more quickly.
Schneweis said the department could break ground in 2019 on completion of the state’s 600-mile expressway system that was made a priority in 1988 by then-Gov. Kay Orr.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.