Interstate 580 Nebraska
Omaha Inset – 1980 Official Nebraska Highway Map
Interstate 580 was designated along the North Freeway from I-480 north to Lake Street but dropped before the freeway was completed.
Overview
Interstate 580 in Nebraska was designated along the North Freeway, which carries U.S. 75 north from I-480 outside Downtown Omaha to the Miller Park-Minne Lusa community. The North Freeway links I-480 with Eppley Airfield (OMA) and the North Omaha area.
History
I-580 was established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on July 13, 1976. Maps showed Interstate 580 signed on the North Freeway in the late 1970s and to 1983. Funding issues delayed completion of the route in 1980, and I-580 was removed from the Interstate Highway System because of the relatively high cost of upgrading portions of the North Freeway to Interstate standards.1
Origins of the North Freeway date back to 1954 when a $2.5 million north to south expressway was proposed to boost economic development and speed cattle to the Stockyards.2 1960s plans called for the route to extend north to Interstate 680 in the Florence area.3
Route Information
Source: Application for the Establishment of I-580 submitted to AASHTO on May 14, 1976.
The canceled West Freeway appears as well from Interstate 480 west to Saddle Creek Road. Ramps constructed at the I-480/North Freeway interchange for the incomplete West Freeway were dismantled during a often delayed project from 2005 to 2010.
Prolonged funding issues prompted the State Legislature to change the law to allow use of money for roads that were once a part of the Interstate system to help cover the costs of utility relocations needed for completion of the North Freeway in 1984.4 Additionally the North Freeway received a $6.2 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in December 1984 to put toward the $60 million estimated completion costs.5 With funding in place, the North Freeway was extended from Lake Street 1.5 miles north to A.V. Sorenson Parkway and 30th Street on November 15, 1988.6 The extension cost $57.5 million and was coupled with the Storz Expressway.7 The Storz Expressway opened on July 26, 1989 as a three mile long controlled access route from the North Freeway to Abbott Drive near Eppley Field. The $19.4 million roadway was funded by federal and city funds.7
U.S. 73 was routed northward along the North Freeway to Lake Street until December 6, 1984, when Nebraska and Iowa highway officials moved forward on a renumbering plan to truncate U.S. 73 southward to Winnebago, Nebraska. The former route was replaced by a shift in U.S. 75 westward from the Interstate 29 corridor leading north from Council Bluffs. This also eliminated a lengthy overlap between U.S. 73/75 from Winnebago to Dawson. The change was done in an effort to reduce motorist confusion and to slightly cut costs associated with maintaining at least 100 dual signs between Omaha and Dawson.8
North End –
/ Storz Expressway – Omaha, Nebraska
North Freeway – North
South at North Freeway
Storz Expressway West at North Freeway
South End
– Omaha, Nebraska
North Freeway – South at
West at
North Freeway
North at North Freeway
I-480/U.S. 75 emerge from a below grade section of freeway and separate at the U.S. 6 (Douglas and Dodge Street) overpasses. The traffic pattern at the original interchange with the North Freeway defaulted the I-480 mainline onto U.S. 75 north. I-480 was eventually realigned through the middle of the rebuilt exchange with four overall lanes. 09/05/05
Sources:
- Neil Alexander Bratney
- “32 – Year Project Divided Community Is Freeway Progress? Some Still Unsure.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), September 17, 1986.
- “Traffic Rolls to 30th and Fort Streets Freeway Is Seen as Boon for North Omaha.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), November 16, 1988.
- “Utilities to Spend $3 Million In ’84 on Path for Freeway.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), December 10, 1983.
- “North Freeway Gets $6.2 Million Grant.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), December 12, 1984.
- “North Freeway Is Now Open Past Lake St.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), November 15, 1988.
- “Two Down, One to Go In Northern Freeways.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), July 25, 1989.
- “End of U.S. 73 Signs To End the Confusion.” Omaha World-Herald (NE), December 7, 1984.
Page updated November 4, 2020.