The Nebraska Roads Department is making plans to widen 9.64 miles of Interstate 80 between the Pleasant Dale and Seward interchanges to six lanes, requiring temporary closures of five county roads that have bridges crossing over the interstate.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners on June 2 authorized Chair Misty Ahmic to sign an agreement with the state for the temporary closures of roads 182, 210, 224 266 and 294 as part of the project which requires bridge replacements.
Seward County Road Superintendent Jon Regnier said the state will also widen the bridge on 182nd Road.
Nebraska Department of Transportation documents for the project indicate the interstate will be widened to six lanes from a point west of the Highway 103 interchange at Pleasant Dale to a point just west of the Highway 15 interchange at Seward. Work on the interstate east of Pleasant Dale is now underway.
As with most road projects, the state has plans to repair or replace bridge structures, extend, modify or add culverts, remove and replace guardrails, reconstruct the Milford and Seward interchanges and the addition of solar lighting.
Regnier said the project is in its first phase, and he does not expect visible activity in Seward County before 2027.
The state project document indicates the schedule will be assessed based on available funding, and it is listed in the state’s five-year planning program for capital improvements.
Regnier said commissioners expressed some concern about detours used when Interstate 80 traffic has to be diverted for construction and the possible roads motorists will take instead of designated detours.
In Phase I, the state will work with a consultant to gather project data, perform environmental resource reviews, traffic analyses, gain public input and draft preliminary designs for the two interchanges.
Phase II would include finalized plans and construction plans and permits, as well as a scope of service, environmental plans, roadway design, hydraulic and hydrologic services, traffic engineering and right-of-way surveys.
In addition to bridges over the interstate, the project will include bridges over railroad tracks, the Big Blue River, Wolf Creek and Middle Creek. Some of the existing bridges are listed as being constructed as long ago as 1962 or 1964.
In other action, the board on June 2:
• Granted the Seward 4th of July Committee’s request to use the courthouse lawn and restrooms from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the annual celebration.
• Appointed Peggy Brown to serve on the Veterans Service Committee for a term running from 2026 to 2031, and Kyle Hinkle to complete a two-year unexpired term on the committee ending in 2027.
• Approved a utility permit for Viaero Fiber to construct underground conduits on 462nd Road between Little Salt Road and Highway 34.
