The Nebraska DOT (NDOT) this week released an update on ongoing efforts to convert the remaining 48 miles of U.S. 275 between Norfolk and Fremont from a two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway.
The expansion will increase capacity and support economic growth along a key roadway connecting Nebraska’s northeast communities to the state’s urban hub.
NDOT prioritized the remaining segments along the U.S. 275 corridor during the selection processes for the Build Nebraska Act and the Transportation Innovation Act. Due to the state’s infrastructure investments, all four segments of U.S. 275 are funded for design or construction.
The southernmost portion of U.S. 275, the Scribner to West Point segment, is currently in the procurement stage of a design-build delivery project. This segment will improve approximately 18.5 miles of U.S. 275, located in Cuming and Dodge Counties. The rural portions of this corridor will be upgraded from a two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway with a bypass constructed around Scribner.
The procurement for this segment is being done concurrently with the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate constraints and permitting issues associated with wetlands, frequent flooding, and levees along the proposed alignment. In late 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified NDOT that an EIS would be required and both parties began work to minimize impacts to the project schedule. The Corps and NDOT have been working together to keep the proposed project timeline of construction in 2021, with hope work could begin as soon as the agencies could agree on plans for environmental impacts. Additionally, NDOT made the decision in November 2019 to alter the delivery mechanism to design-bid-build for the segment in order to mitigate project risk by directly managing the schedule.
To support accelerated delivery, the northernmost portion from Norfolk to Wisner is set to be to be constructed in two segments. Norfolk to N-15 covers approximately 10 miles from the intersection of U.S. 275 and N-57 east of Norfolk to the east junction of U.S. 275 with N-15. The additional segment of N-15 to Wisner covers the remaining 5.5 miles of the highway. The project expands the existing two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway by constructing a new, parallel, two-lane roadway on one side of the existing U.S. 275.
For this segment, NDOT selected a consultant this year to lead work to improve the approximate 16 miles of U.S. 275 from N-57 just east of Norfolk to the east junction of U.S. 275 and N-15 to Wisner. Preliminary design and National Environmental Policy Act review are currently underway and expected to be complete in 2020.
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SOURCE: Nebraska DOT
