Interstate 80 in Nebraska

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Interstate 80 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by Nebraska Department of Roads
Length:	455.32 mi[1] (732.77 km)
Formed:	1957[2]
Major junctions:	N-71 in Kimball I-76 near Big Springs US 83 in North Platte US 281 in Grand Island US 81 near York US 77 in Lincoln I-180 in Lincoln I-680 in Omaha I-480 / US 75 in Omaha
East end:	I-80 at Iowa state line
Nebraska Highways < N-79 US 81 >

In the U.S. state of Nebraska, Interstate 80 runs west from Omaha to the Wyoming state border, ultimately terminating in San Francisco, California. When it completed construction of the stretch of Interstate 80 spanning the state on October 19, 1974, Nebraska was the first state in the nation to complete its mainline interstate system.^[3]

Nebraska has more than fifty exits along Interstate 80.^[4] According to the New York Times there are several notable tourist attractions along Nebraska's section of I-80.^[5]

Contents 1 History 2 Designated sections 3 Legacy 4 Details 5 Speeds 6 Exit list 7 Auxiliary routes 8 See also 9 Bibliography 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.
Sidney Ogallala North Platte Kearney Lexington Grand Island York Lincoln Omaha

Built along the pathway of the Great Platte River Road, I-80 in Nebraska follows the same route as many historic trails, including the Oregon Trail, the California Trail and the Mormon Trail.^[6] Starting in 1957 after federal funding was allotted, Nebraskans began planning their interstate construction. Led by the Nebraska State Highway Commission, there were hearings across the state to decide where the route was going to be. Aside from the federally-mandated "control points" in Omaha and Scottsbluff, the route could vary across the state. Dozens of meetings were held in Grand Island, Kearney and North Platte, among other locations. The commission addressed issues of whether the highway would be north or south of the Platte River or whether it would follow U.S. 30. The South Platte Chamber of Commerce and various cities were very active in these sessions, and debate over where the Interstate would be constructed continued into the 1960s.^[7]

After the first contract for building the interstate was awarded in 1957, a 6.5 mile section near Gretna was the first section to be completed that year.^[8] The first long segment to be opened was a fifty mile section between Dodge Street in Omaha and the West Lincoln interchange in Lincoln in 1961.^[9] During a "Golden Link" ceremony, the last section of I-80 in Nebraska was completed when a brass connector was inserted in the roadway near Sidney on April 1, 1974.^[10] This was designed to keep in tradition with the golden spike on the railroads in 1869.^[11]

The total length of the Nebraska section is 455.27 miles long, and was completed at a cost of $435 million.^[12]

The Interstate passes through 15 counties in the state: Kimball, Cheyenne, Deuel, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson, Buffalo, Hall, Hamilton, York, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Sarpy, and Douglas.^[13]

[edit] Designated sections

The entirety of the Interstate Highway System was named the "Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways" in 1990, and the first signage in Nebraska was posted in 1993.^[14] Several sections of I-80 in Nebraska have special designations. The I-80 intersection with US-34 has been designated a "Purple Heart Memorial Highway", and South 108th Street bridge over I-80 in Omaha has been designated the "Purple Heart Bridge", both in honor of all recipients of the Purple Heart.^[15] A section of I-80 in Nebraska is also designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

[edit] Legacy

The beginning of the I-80 construction in Nebraska in 1957 led the Nebraska Legislature to split the Department of Roads and Irrigation in order to create three separate agencies in the state, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Water Resources and the Department of Roads, which was the first Nebraska agency solely responsible for highway planning, construction, and maintenance in Nebraska history.^[16]

Interstate construction led the state to focus on other highways in Nebraska, as well. Surfaced shoulders, new safety sections beyond shoulders and other developments across the state were attributed to the influence of the Interstate.^[17] The 1965 state Legislature also authorized a study of the needs of every public road in Nebraska, including state highways, county roads, and city streets.^[18]

[edit] Details

In Nebraska, I-80 has 81 interchanges, 442 bridges are on or over the roadway and 25 rest areas and one scenic overlook, each spaced 35-50 miles apart for convenience. The I-80 rights-of-way in Nebraska feature 28 types of grasses and forbs, 31 types of shrubs, 12 varieties of coniferous trees, and 39 types of deciduous trees are planted on the of I-80 in Nebraska. There are also 570 informational and directional signs along the way.^[19]

[edit] Speeds

The following are speed limits that have existed on I-80 in Nebraska since it was opened in 1957.^[20]

Speed limits on I-80 in Nebraska
Year	Speed limit(s)
1945	60 mph day, 50 mph night.
1960	65 mph day, 55 mph night.
1962	75 mph for cars and 65 mph for trucks in rural areas.
1974	55 mph national speed limit, effective March 3, 1974.
1987	65 mph on the rural interstate.
1996	75 mph on the rural interstate.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile[21]	#	Destinations	Notes
Kimball		0.48	1	L-53B (I-80 Bus. west) to US 30 - Pine Bluffs
		8.46	8	L-53C – Bushnell
		20.70	20	N-71 – Scottsbluff, Kimball
		22.69	22	Kimball (L-53E)
		29.76	29	L-53A – Dix
Cheyenne		38.96	38	L-17B – Potter
		48.92	48	L-17C
		55.37	55	I-80 Bus. east / N-19 – Sidney
	Sidney	59.92	59	I-80 Bus. west / L-17J to US 385 – Sidney, Bridgeport
		69.63	69	L-17E – Sunol
		76.61	76	L-17F – Lodgepole
Deuel		85.22	85	L-25A – Chappell
		95.02	95	N-27 - Julesburg, Oshkosh
		101.19	101	US 138 – Big Springs, Julesburg
		102.59	102	I-76 south - Denver
		107.36	107	L-25B – Big Springs
Keith		117.25	117	L-51A – Brule
	Ogallala	126.69	126	US 26 / N-61 – Ogallala, Grant
		133.96	133	L-51B – Roscoe
		145.65	145	L-51C – Paxton
Lincoln		158.01	158	N-25 – Sutherland, Wallace
		164.52	164	L-56C – Hershey
	North Platte	177.16	177	US 83 – North Platte, McCook
		179.22	179	L-56G to US 30 – North Platte
		190.45	190	S-56A – Maxwell
		198.98	199	L-56D – Brady
Dawson	Gothenburg	211.79	211	N-47 – Gothenburg
	Cozad	222.46	222	N-21 – Cozad
		231.10	231	L-24A – Darr
		237.20	237	US 283 – Arapahoe, Lexington, Elwood
		248.53	248	L-24B – Overton
Buffalo		257.00	257	US 183 – Holdrege, Elm Creek
		263.67	263	L-10B – Odessa
	Kearney	272.60	272	N-44 – Kearney, Archway Monument
		279.90	279	N-10 – Minden
		285.63	285	L-10C – Gibbon
		291.36	291	L-10D – Shelton, Kenesaw
Hall		300.10	300	N-11 (S-40D) – Wood River
		305.66	305	L-40C – Alda
		312.07	312	US 34 / US 281 – Hastings, Grand Island
		314.11	314	Locust Street – Grand Island
Hamilton		318.16	318	N-2 – Phillips, Grand Island
		324.16	324	S-41B – Giltner
		332.17	332	N-14 – Aurora
		338.14	338	L-41D – Hampton
York		342.13	342	S-93A – Henderson
		348.11	348	L-93E – Bradshaw
	York	353.10	353	US 83 – Geneva, York
		360.13	360	L-93B – Waco
Seward		366.15	366	L-80F – Utica
		369.14	369	L-80E – Beaver Crossing
		373.11	373	L-80G – Goehner
		379.11	379	N-15 – Seward, Fairbury
		382.11	382	Milford (L-80H)
		388.13	388	N-103 – Crete
Lancaster	Lincoln	395.61	395	To US 6 / Northwest 48th Street (L-55K)
		396.36	396	US 6 (West O Street)	Westbound exit is via exit 397
		397.27	397	US 77 south – Beatrice	West end of US 77 overlap
		399.03	399	Lincoln Municipal Airport
		401.04	401	I-180 / US 34 (9th Street) – Downtown Lincoln	Signed as exits 401A (south/east) and 401B (west)
		403.49	403	27th Street – State Fair Park
		405.76	405	US 77 north (North 56th Street, L-55X)	East end of US 77 overlap
		409.76	409	US 6 – East Lincoln, Waverly
Cass		420.94	420	N-63 – Ashland, Greenwood
		426.07	426	N-66 – Mahoney State Park, Ashland, South Bend
Sarpy		432.95	432	N-31 to US 6 – Gretna, Louisville
		439.20	439	N-370 – Bellevue, Papillion, Gretna
		440.65	440	N-50 – Springfield, Millard, Louisville
		442.90	442	126th Street, Harrison Street
Douglas	Omaha		444	Q Street	Westbound exit only
		445.05	445	US 275 / N-92 (L Street)
			445	I Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		445.98	446	I-680 north
		448.30	448	84th Street
		449.31	449	72nd Street
		450.32	450	60th Street
		451.84	451	42nd Street
		452.86	452	I-480 north / US 75 (Kennedy Freeway) – Downtown Omaha, Eppley Airfield, Bellevue
		453.05	453	24th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		454.15	454	13th Street

[edit] Auxiliary routes

Interstate 80 has three auxiliary routes in Nebraska. One is a loop around the city of Omaha, one is a loop through the city of Omaha, and the other is a spur into Lincoln.

- Interstate 480 is a 4.9 mile loop route in Omaha extending from Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs west towards I-80. It serves as the inner of two loops in Omaha. Signed as US 6 for a mile across the Missouri River, when the Interstate meets with the North Freeway and turns south it becomes US 75.

- Interstate 680 is a 42.86 mile loop around the city of Omaha. It serves as the outer of the two Omaha loops.

- Interstate 180 is a 3.47 mile spur into the city of Lincoln.

[edit] See also

• History of Nebraska

[edit] Bibliography

• Mattes, M.J. (1969) The Great Platte River Road. University of Nebraska Press.
• Frazier, I. (1989) Great Plains. Knopf.
• Nebraska State Historical Society. Historic Places: The National Register for Nebraska. Published by Nebraskaland Magazine.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Nebraska Department of Roads
• 1963 photos of construction in Omaha.
• I-80 Nebraska. An official promotional website for nine counties in central and western Nebraska.

Interstate 80
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