The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) recently awarded a $352.2 million contract to Hawkins Construction of Omaha for the construction of the Lincoln South Beltway.
The project will connect U.S. Highway 77 and Nebraska Highway 2. The 11-mile, four-lane freeway is expected to improve safety and mobility.
“Awarding the contract for Lincoln South Beltway is decades in the making,” NDOT Director Kyle Schneweis said. “A lot of work has gone into getting us to today’s announcement, and it brings us one step closer to breaking ground on a project that will improve the quality of life for
many Nebraskans.”
The NDOT has begun work on removing vegetation for the new roadway.
Public meetings will be held later this year to provide residents with information on how work could impact travel.
NDOT partnered with the city of Lincoln, Lancaster County, and the U.S. Department of Transportation to secure funding for the project. NDOT is using a financing approach that allows the project to be built over three years but paid for over eight years.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring and is expected to open to traffic in the spring of 2023.
The project is one of NDOT’s largest and one of its most complex.