South Beltway (Nebraska 2)

[Alex]

Randomly found a 2006 article on the South Beltway, the relocation of Nebraska 2 from Lincoln onto a freeway bypass south of the city. I had not heard of this before, so I searched for recent news and its still yet to break ground due to a lack of funds.

From the March 5, 2006 Article: "South Beltway will become Nebraska 2" from the Lincoln Journal Star:

Work could begin as early as 2008; depends on funds

In a couple of years, a four-lane freeway will be carved into the rolling hills and cornfields south of Lincoln to create the long-awaited South Beltway.

The beltway will start with a big interchange on the west end, where the beltway will begin at U.S. 77 between Bennet Road and Saltillo Road. The new beltway will head east over hills and valleys, rising on an overpass over 25th Street, Salt Creek and railroad tracks. A bridge will be constructed to carry traffic on 54th Street over the freeway.

The beltway begins to ease northward at about 68th Street and crosses Saltillo just east of 98th Street, although this is in the final leg of the beltway, which is still being designed. Public hearings on the design of eastern leg of the South Beltway will be held in late summer or early fall.

It will connect with the existing Nebraska 2 near 120th Street.

The city and state are still working to secure as much of the projected $ 129 million cost from the federal government. The state will have to cover 80 percent and the city 20 percent of any costs not funded by the federal government.

February 2013 article: It's long road to south beltway completion

It's only about eight miles, east to west, from 134th Street to U.S. 77, but Lincoln's south beltway has turned out to be a very long road to build.

A dozen years ago, Lincoln Mayor Don Wesely said local officials had made history by approving construction of the project.

Drive out to the intersection of Saltillo Road and U.S. 77 today, look east, and you'll see what happens when there's not enough money to support a big idea.

The four-lane beltway, meant to accommodate Lincoln's growth and divert heavy truck traffic away from Nebraska 2, hasn't gotten off the drawing board. And Jim Knott, a design engineer with the Nebraska Department of Roads, isn't making any bold statements about when the 300-foot wide corridor might start to take shape.

But consensus is a slippery goal when money is tight and the price tag for a project with multiple interchanges between 134th Street and the 77 bypass falls in a range of $173 million to $210 million.

The NDOR site on the Beltway project includes a proposal for an East Beltway as well.

[huskeroadgeek]

They've been talking about this since I was little. I once found a study about it at the library that was from the late 60s or early 70s. I don't think the East Beltway will ever get built-the South Beltway is more important as the article states it would take truck traffic off of NE 2 through south Lincoln.

[NE2]

I ain't moving out of Lincoln

[Sykotyk]

They've been talking about this since I was little. I once found a study about it at the library that was from the late 60s or early 70s. I don't think the East Beltway will ever get built-the South Beltway is more important as the article states it would take truck traffic off of NE 2 through south Lincoln.

I've taken the NE2 route through Lincoln. It is overtaxed by truck traffic (and general through traffic) for a road not going through the heart of a major city.

The southern beltway would be huge. Even upgraded Saltillo and another road to truck standards, and restricting truck traffic through town would greatly increase traffic flow through the city.

[DandyDan]

The whole NE 2 corridor is overrun with truck traffic.  It would be a great improvement to build a South Beltway.  This is one of those things they should have done years and years ago.

[kphoger]

I ain't moving out of Lincoln

They should renumber the highway as NE-yawn.

[Revive 755]

The NDOR site on the Beltway project includes a proposal for an East Beltway as well.

It's interesting that the future interchange between the South Beltway, Nebraska 2, and the East Beltway provides continuity for the South Beltway to East Beltway movements instead of favoring NE 2.

The East Beltway is still a city project, but I thought I heard somewhere that it was likely to be taken over by NDOR.  If that happened, I wonder which route in Lincoln would be turned over due to the mileage cap?

[DandyDan]

The East Beltway is still a city project, but I thought I heard somewhere that it was likely to be taken over by NDOR.  If that happened, I wonder which route in Lincoln would be turned over due to the mileage cap?

I'd have to assume all of US 6 and US 34 goes onto the interstate and/or the East Beltway if it were ever built.  At least that would be the obvious solution to me.  I don't see why O Street or Cornhusker Highway needs a highway designation in Lincoln.  It probably depends on how close to the cap they are.  How close are they and how does that even work?

[mrose]

It seems ludicrous to me that a city of Lincoln's size doesn't have any kind of outer beltway system or even a more useful 3di other than 180 which runs right into downtown and stops and is basically a parking lot on football days.

I actually would find the east leg just as useful as the south leg as most of my friends and family in Lincoln all still live on the eastern side. It was always a pain to get to that part of town from I-80, either from points east (via US 6 and 84th St and a LOT of lights) or from the west (which usually involved O St. and Capital Pkwy/Normal Blvd and even more lights).

I'd like to see it built to interstate standards and called I-780, since it makes a nice portmanteau of "77" and "80", and all the other lower odd digits are taken nearby (180), in the next state (380), or were once planned for Omaha (580).

[Revive 755]

It seems ludicrous to me that a city of Lincoln's size doesn't have any kind of outer beltway system or even a more useful 3di other than 180 which runs right into downtown and stops and is basically a parking lot on football days.

There were apparently grander plans for Lincoln, as the Northeast Radial was to be a freeway along the BNSF tracks from downtown but never connecting with I-80 instead tying into an eastern freeway that ran along the east side of 84th Street and ended at US 6 IIRC.  Rosa Parks Way was also to have been a full freeway at one time, either tying into I-80 via a joint section with US 77 or tying into I-80 at the O Street connector ramps (Exit 396).


NDOR is holding a public meeting on the South Beltway:
http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/projects/south-beltway/docs/6-25-13-meeting-notice.pdf

[NE2]

Rosa Parks Way has no bus routes. WTF.

[Revive 755]

I managed to turn up the map with the earlier highway plan for Lincoln


The blue dot was added to show the interchange on I-80 with 27th Street which exists today.

Seems odd how neither the West Bypass didn't tie into I-180, or how the East Bypass along 84th Street didn't make it north to I-80.

Also note how Capital Parkway was to continue east of 70th Street.

IIRC the railroad relocation study for Lincoln had the Northeast Radial continuing south to tie into Capital Parkway instead of turning westward into downtown.