Lancaster County Engineer Pam Dingman is asking county officials to set aside more money to acquire land for the East Beltway, a road that would connect the yet-to-be-constructed South Beltway and Nebraska 2 with Interstate 80 near Waverly.
The county has only set aside $100,000, and Dingman fears land the county is trying to purchase in the East Beltway corridor will deplete that amount.
“I am going to urge you as a commission to start setting aside money for this,†she told Lancaster County Board members this week.
By comparison, the city puts aside $250,000 a year to buy land in the East Beltway corridor and has accumulated $3 million for that purpose, said Randy Hoskins, assistant city engineer.
There is no timeline for the East Beltway.Â
Dingman said design work on it likely wouldn’t begin until after work starts on the South Beltway.
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Construction on the South Beltway is scheduled to begin no sooner than 2020 and is expected to take five to seven years. The four-lane divided freeway would connect Nebraska 2 at 120th Street with U.S. 77, southwest of Lincoln.
Hoskins said the Nebraska Department of Roads is responsible for buying land for development of the South Beltway, which is expected to cost $200 million to build. The city is responsible for 20 percent of the project’s cost, a portion of which will be paid by giving $16.6 million in unused federal funds to the state.
The city also plans to set aside $2.2 million in fiscal year 2018-19 and $21 million in 2019-20, Hoskins said.
The state has set aside money for the South Beltway under the 2011 Build Nebraska Act, which directed a quarter-cent of the state sales tax toward road construction and repair.
Hoskins said the state has only purchased a handful of properties along the South Beltway route. Lancaster County has no financial responsibility for the South Beltway.
With 13 miles of East Beltway corridor, Dingman estimated the city and county will have to spend nearly $9 million to buy property along the route. The city and county each pay half the cost of buying land for the beltway, she said.
The County Board approved a resolution Tuesday allowing Dingman to negotiate buying land east of 120th Street and Pine Lake Road that a Lincoln couple recently purchased to construct a home.
Hoskins said the city and county are notified any time a landowner files a building permit on land within the protected East Beltway corridor. The city and county then have 60 days to notify the landowner of their intent to purchase all or part of the land.
After that, the city and county then have six months to negotiate with the landowner to purchase the land, he said.
Hoskins said buying land from private citizens also protects them from constructing homes or other buildings next to what could become a bustling freeway.
“If you’re a homeowner, you don’t necessarily want an interstate and off-ramp right next to your house,†he said.
More information about the East Beltway is available at .