Major state road, bridge work planned in Beatrice, over next four years
BEATRICE - Long range street and highway projects are seldom set in stone. But, some major Nebraska Department of Transportation projects are apparently in the works for Beatrice the next few years.
City Engineer James Burroughs says one potential project is a reconstruction of the Big Blue River Bridge along West Court Street. As it stands now, the project is slated for 2026. Burroughs said that prospect was not previously known by the city. That is the same year resurfacing of Court Street from 1st Street to 21st Street is scheduled.
A resurfacing of U.S. Highway 77 is tentatively planned in 2028. "Here lately, we saw a lot of survey work going on, so we inquired about that. The state is planning on doing some improvements to Highway 77 all the way south of town, but through town all the way up to Industrial Row. That's in year '28. We felt there was a lot of overlap on what could be coming in, on some of our projects, whether it be the highway relocation or whatever. So, we reached out to the district one engineer, and have a meeting set up with them."
During a Beatrice Board of Public Works meeting Tuesday, Burroughs said a meeting with the NDOT could help coordinate work by the state with local projects on the schedule. The city recently was awarded a more than $21 million federal grant to relocate part of U.S. 136 a block south in the downtown area…and to make other Court Street corridor improvements. It appears the U.S. Highway 136 resurfacing will be state funded, but the city may have a share of funding to pay for the paving work on U.S. 77.
Locally, Beatrice residents have no doubt noticed the new asphalt look on several streets in the community. Street Superintendent Jason Moore says that was done by a Kansas contractor and involves putting an onyx coating on the streets to extend their life.
"If you look at some of the streets out there...it's the black surface...the material that we've added. We like to look at those roads that are in that five-year age, because they've got a better profile...if they're not rutted, if they're not cracked, have a lot of horizontal cracking...if they don't have a whole lot of blemishes in the roadway. What it does is it seals the surface up...and is something that gives us a few more years, before we have to look at the possibility of a chip seal armor coat."
Much of the work has been done on truck routes, but other streets have also received the sealant work. Other streets are being considered in the future.
City Street crews are currently doing asphalt repair work….and will soon move to concrete repairs throughout the community.