I-80 Cherry Avenue Bypass Approved by Federal Highway Commission

On January 12, the City announced that the Cherry Avenue Bypass has been approved by the Federal Highway Commission.  This is great news for the City.  Since 1997, City officials, community organizations, and citizens have been working diligently to secure a second I-80 interchange.  After 13 years, we are on the brink of having that goal become a reality.  The State of Nebraska will bid the project for construction this spring, and work is set to begin this summer. We expect Cherry Avenue to be open for traffic from I-80 to 11^th Street in 2013.  The cost for this first phase of the project is estimated at $12 million.  The City of Kearney has committed $2 million to the total project from revenues from Keno proceeds; the remainder of the funding will come from state and federal sources.  Thank you to Senator Ben Nelson and former Representative Tom Osborne for securing a federal earmark for this project and to the citizens of Kearney who worked so tirelessly to promote the interests of the community.