Major bridge, culvert work to begin in Pawnee County

BEATRICE — If weather and road conditions permit, work is scheduled to start today...January 23^rd…. on Nebraska Highways 50 and 8 in the Pawnee City area.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation says Hawkins Construction Co. of Omaha is the prime contractor for bridge work, culverts, grading, seeding, and guardrail.

The project begins on the east edge of Pawnee City and continues through Dubois, Nebraska to the Kansas State Line.

Traffic will be maintained with normal two-lane, two-way traffic until March 20th, when the roadway will be shut down from the Nebraska Highway 8 junction north of Dubois, south to the Kansas State Line to allow for bridge and culvert work in that area.

The designated detour route will be from the Nebraska 8 junction north of Dubois, to the US Highway 77 interchange....then US-77 to Kansas US Highway 36. Nebraska Highway 50 will remain open to local traffic from the Kansas State Line to the Nebraska Highway 8 junction during the bridge and culvert construction operations.

A local detour will be in place in the area on county roads to enable property owners’ access. Temporary traffic signals will be used at the bridge construction site, three miles north of the Nebraska 8 junction north of Dubois.

Flaggers and pilot cars will be used at various locations on the project. Anticipated completion of the work is the end of 2023 construction season.