The Nebraska Department of Transportation on Monday supported a proposal from Sen. Lynn Walz of Fremont to authorize the department to enter into public-private partnerships in an effort to speed up highway construction.Â
Walz said her bill (LB1016) is designed to try to achieve "accelerated completion of the expressway system."
But the department expressed opposition to another bill, introduced by Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, that would require the state to accelerate long-delayed expressway construction in northeast Nebraska.
Flood's proposal, contained in LB1274, would direct the Department of Transportation to plan, design and purchase right-of-way for four lanes of U.S. 81 north between Norfolk and the South Dakota border and south between Columbus and York, along with a four-lane connection of U.S. 20 between U.S. 81 and the Iowa border.
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Flood described the long-delayed projects as critical for agriculture, business, truck traffic, highway safety, economic development and tourism, providing access to Lewis and Clark Lake and Niobrara State Park.
"It's a chance to be super-visionary," he suggested.
"It's a huge opportunity for growth and a chance to bring young people home," he said.
"I was in eighth grade when Gov. Kay Orr and the Legislature approved development of a divided, four-lane expressway system," Flood told the Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, arguing that it's far past time to finish the task.
The bill attracted supporting testimony from a host of officials and residents from northeast Nebraska.
"It's a real growth opportunity," Eric Gerrard said, speaking for the City of Norfolk and Mayor Josh Moenning, and "it's been postponed too long."
John Selmer, director of the Department of Transportation, told the committee he believes it is "unwise to begin directing DOT away" from its current planning for completion of the four-lane expressway system envisioned in 1988.
That system is designed to connect communities with a population of 15,000 or more with Interstate 80, he said, and it is now more than 70% complete, with 160 miles to go.
The legislative proposal would "allow projects to leapfrog projects already programmed," he said, and "place specific projects at the head of the line."
Selmer, however, supported the Walz proposal, suggesting that the private sector "could give us some ideas" and that, in turn, perhaps could lead to "some time savings."
Walz said the bill would provide "more tools in the tool box."
Several people who testified at the public hearing alluded to the collaboration with the private sector that has led to accelerated construction of the South Beltway in Lincoln as a potential model.
Construction of the beltway, a freeway linking U.S. 77 southwest of Lincoln to Nebraska 2 southeast of Lincoln, began in 2020 and is scheduled to be completed next year.