By: Mike Glesinger Panhandle Post. Thanks to The Governors Office and Nebraska Dept of Transportation
Local and State Officals celebrated the completion of the latest segment of the Heartland Expressway on Monday morning. Governor Pete Ricketts, Alliance Mayor Mike Dafney, NDOT Director John Selmer and NDOT Dist. 5 Construction Engineer Doug Hoevet were in attendance at the ribbon cutting that was held north of Angora on the new southbound lanes of Highway 385.
The Heartland Expressway, when completed, will provide multilane, divided highway access between Rapid City, South Dakota and Denver, Colorado, via Alliance and Scottsbluff, and Brush, Colorado. Monday's event celebrated the completion of the expansion of Highway 385 to 4 lanes from just south of the Box Butte County line to the L-62A intersection south of Angora.
With support from local advocates, NDOT has been making significant progress on the Heartland Expressway. Funds from the Build Nebraska Act and the Transportation Innovation Act have enabled NDOT to move forward on the corridor. Additionally, the agency won an $18.3 million grant in the summer of 2018 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program to complete the 14-mile stretch south of Alliance.
“The Heartland Expressway will be a vital north-south corridor within our national transportation network,” said Gov. Ricketts. “Its construction will significantly increase the flow of freight from America’s border with Canada all the way to ports along the Gulf of Mexico. The completion of the Heartland Expressway will create great opportunities for economic growth in the Nebraska Panhandle as businesses make use of this strategic transportation route. Congratulations to NDOT, IHC-Scott, and local and regional supporters on the opening of this major segment of the expressway.”
HC-Scott, Inc. of Centennial, Colorado was awarded the $32 million contract to complete the 14-mile segment of the Heartland Expressway from the L-62A / US-385 junction north toward Alliance. Work began in the spring of 2021 and included grading, safety improvements, and expansion of the roadway.
“The work completed here is only the next phase in a longer, multi-year project,” said NDOT Director John Selmer. “We are here to celebrate progress on a system that will improve mobility in the region and enhance safety. We look forward to being out here again, celebrating the next segment completion.”
“The Heartland Expressway has been long awaited by the Panhandle and the citizens who call it home,” said Alliance Mayor Mike Dafney. “Our communities and our organizations are committed to this project and its ability to meet transportation needs for Nebraskans in the region for years to come.”
Completion of the Heartland Expressway is expected to bring long-term economic development throughout the corridor as higher speed, multi-lane access makes development sites more attractive. Alliance has seen several new bussinesses open along the Expressway on the west side of Alliance including Maverik, Bomgaars, Runza, Pepsi-Cola of Western Nebraska (LinPepCo) and Holiday Inn Express. Several other businesses and an extended stay hotel are also planned in that area.