Heartland Expressway

[chimney rock newfoundland]

I suppose the Heartland Express is going to mean more traffic on 71 south from Kimball when I go to Colorado Springs. I kind of enjoy being the only vehicle on the road!!
You all are right it does need to be widened, just kidding with you.

[Chris19]

Interesting point, I usually do not take 71 in Nebraska due to it being out of the way and it being a two-lane road. If there is not much traffic, the road can get widened over time but resources should be directed towards areas that have heavier traffic and may warrant road widening to improve safety and traffic flow.

I usually take US 81 down to Columbus and take US 30 to Grand Island. US 81 in spots would need the widening more and there is more traffic in that direction and the widening would add safety and allow passing. There are stretches along US 81 from Yankton to Norfolk and Columbus to York that should get widened to provide continuity to the four lane from the south and between Norfolk and Columbus.

There are times along US 81 and US 30 where I am behind vehicles and want to go normal speed (60 mph) and get stuck behind a vehicle driving very slow. I do not pass until I am sure that I can make pass the vehicle safely. I cannot pass due to going up a hill and when there are cars coming the opposite direction in areas where I can pass (US 81). The two-lane portions of northern Nebraska can be dangerous at times. I almost got into a head-on collision on US 81 going northbound north of Norfolk when a southbound vehicle was passing another southbound vehicle. I had to hit the breaks as a defensive driving measure to avoid a collision. I am not sure how many more close calls, accidents, or head-on collisions it will take to improve highway safety in Nebraska, SD, and the US.

[tpabes]

US 81 from Columbus to York is going to be widened, I do not know of any plans to widen US 81 north from the Pierce turnoff to the border.

[Chris19]

I would consider taking US 81 if four-laned instead of US 30 to I-80. It would be an easier drive and cancel out the distance disadvantage of US 81 betwen Columbus and York.

[a42887]

Heartland Expressway Update

KIMBALL, Neb. — Construction was scheduled to begin Monday on a long-awaited section of the Heartland Expressway, an interchange connecting Highway 71 and Interstate 80.

The $25 million Kimball project will provide a four-lane connection between the interstate and the completed four-lance section of Highway 71 five miles north of the city. It will create a new interchange that will bypass the downtown.

The Kimball interchange, also known as the Kimball Bypass, will realign Highway 71 beginning at the east exit and provide a four-lane link to about 65 miles of four-lane expressway that begins about five miles north of the city. The bottleneck caused by the need for trucks and other traffic to slow to 25 mph and navigate an underpass in downtown Kimball has been an obstacle to growth in Scottsbluff and other parts of the Panhandle, according to local economic development officials.

Completed sections of the Heartland include the more than 40 miles of four-lane roadway that begins just north of Kimball, a new bypass around Scottsbluff-Gering and about 20 miles of a four-lane segment of Highway 26 between Mitchell and Minatare.