Nebraska Finishes US 275 Section on Eastern Freight Route
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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen joined state transportation officials to open a wider 18.5-mile freight corridor stretch on U.S. Route 275 at Scribner that was under construction since 2021.
“The completion of this stretch of the U.S. 275 expressway is a big win for Nebraska, but we have more work to do,” Pillen said recently. “The local communities understand the need for this expressway to be complete, and the economic benefit it will provide.”
The Nebraska Department of Transportation has been working to improve the U.S. 275 corridor in segments for many years after state lawmakers in 1988 dubbed the roadway as part of the Nebraska Expressway System that would amount to 600 miles. So far, about 70% has been completed, according to NDOT.
The opening of the Scribner-West Point section puts an end to construction that started there in the summer of 2021. An improved freight corridor will decrease roadway congestion and enable the state’s agriculture producers to travel easier on connections to national freight systems.
“Local support for this work has been strong and sustained for decades,” Pillen remarked, while revealing he instructed NDOT “to condense the time” to finish the next U.S. 275 construction segment from Norfolk to West Point.
(Nebraska Department of Transportation)
Some 28 miles must be revamped on that remaining expressway corridor from Norfolk to West Point. Construction has involved transforming a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided expressway from Scribner to West Point.
U.S. 275 provides a vital freight link in the state with Interstate 80 and the Omaha metro area.
“This newly finished section of U.S. 275 is a major step in our mission to complete the expressway system,” said Vicki Kramer, NDOT director. “The NDOT is exploring conservative and responsible bond financing options in an effort to complete the U.S. 275 corridor on a more condensed schedule that would otherwise not be possible using the pay-as-you-go strategy.”
U.S. 275, according to NDOT, is a critical rural freight corridor that farmers, livestock producers, manufacturers, small businesses and steelmakers rely on to transport their goods to large markets.
NDOT’s 2023 Nebraska State Freight Plan listed U.S. 275 between Omaha and Fremont among the state’s top non-interstate freight corridors in eastern Nebraska. Over 1,000 trucks travel each day in that eastern region, which also holds some 75% of the entire state population.
The freight plan forecasts that trucking will continue to be the No. 1 mover of the state’s freight in 2045 with 384 million tons. Already trucks were responsible for 282 million tons (63% of all freight tonnage) transported in Nebraska in 2017.
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