State grant for Lincoln’s East Beltway considered

The state would help fund a major highway project east of Lincoln under a bill heard March 4 by the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.

LB619, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Beau Ballard, would require the state Department of Transportation to award grants jointly to primary class cities and the counties in which they are located. Grants could be used to build motor vehicle transportation infrastructure that connects a highway with the Interstate.

The bill states legislative intent to appropriate $15 million from the state’s General Fund to the program in fiscal year 2025-26.

A city and county receiving a grant would submit an annual report to the department. Any unused grant money would be repaid and credited to the General Fund.

Ballard said LB619 would help fund the planning and construction of Lincoln’s East Beltway. He said the project, which has been approved under state and federal regulations, is a “crucial investment” in Lincoln’s transportation infrastructure and important to economic development in southeast Nebraska.

“It is the final link in an expressway that will improve mobility, reduce congestion and enhance safety for residents, business and travelers alike,” Ballard said.

Lancaster County engineer Pam Dingman testified in support of the bill on behalf of her office, the Lancaster County Board and a group representing professional engineers.

She said the East Beltway, planned since the mid-1990s, would run north and south between Highway 2 and Waverly approximately 1 mile west of 148th St., a two-lane road that Dingman said is “one of the fastest growing corridors in Nebraska” and an “extreme” safety concern.

Completing the project would draw traffic away from congested roadways and provide more efficient routes for local and regional traffic, she said.

Also in support of LB619 was Carter Thiele of the Lincoln Independent Business Association. He said the East Beltway would support residential and commercial development in a fast-growing area of the city and speed travel between Lincoln and Omaha.

No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.