Nebraska Department of Transportation Director Vicki Kramer announced that completion of the state’s expressway system is now projected to take until at least 2042 due to funding constraints. Originally planned to be finished in the mid-2030s, the system includes 16 corridors spanning over 600 miles. This delay in completion date is an effort to manage expectations and be more transparent about the state’s financial limitations.
Kramer presented the updated timeline to state lawmakers during a joint committee hearing, highlighting the need for additional funding sources to speed up the construction of remaining expressway segments. A new financing tool was approved last year to issue $100 million in bonds for the U.S. 275 expressway, which could be completed by 2029, several years earlier than current estimates.
The State Highway Needs Assessment outlined a total cost of $16.9 billion over the next two decades to address road-building and maintenance needs, with a focus on asset preservation, modernization, and capital improvements. Kramer emphasized the importance of improving safety on Nebraska roadways, urging legislators to take action to reduce the number of fatalities and accidents occurring each year.
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