LINCOLN, NE — Governor Jim Pillen, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts, and Director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) Vicki Kramer, gathered to highlight the Capital City Connector Lincoln Interstate Bridges Project, which will overhaul aging infrastructure in the state’s capital.
In April, NDOT was awarded $15.6 million in grant funding through the Federal Highway Administration’s Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP) to address critical infrastructure needs on Interstate 80 (I-80) and Interstate 180 (I-180). The CHBP was established and funded as part of fiscal years 2024 and 2025 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and related agencies appropriations bills. The program targeted highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation while requiring applicants to demonstrate cost savings through bridge bundling.
Three of the four bridges that will be improved are currently rated in poor condition, with the fourth expected to reach poor condition by 2030. The bridges that will be repaired are I-180 southbound over I-80 and I-180 northbound over I-80. Bridges that will see full replacement are the Adams Street Bridge over I-180 and U.S. Highway 6 over I-180.
Pillen cited the project as an example of how Nebraska is utilizing federal funds to better the state’s transportation system.
“Hard working Nebraskans expect government to be smart with taxpayer dollars and to make their lives better. These projects are a great example of that,” Pillen said. “I appreciate our federal partners for helping get this grant funding that will better connect downtown Lincoln to our interstate system.”
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Ricketts, along with other members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation, provided a letter of support for NDOT’s grant application. While Governor, Ricketts encouraged efficiency efforts to streamline project delivery — one of those being bridge bundling. Over the last several years, NDOT, along with Nebraska counties, have implemented innovate approaches to leverage economies of scale.
“The Capital City Connector Lincoln Interstate Bridges Project will modernize our state’s infrastructure and improve roadway safety for Nebraskans,” Ricketts said. “I was glad to support this project and help secure federal funding to make it possible.”
Bundling all four bridges is expected to save up to 20 percent in construction costs through synchronized contracting, shared mobilization, and concurrent detours. Project bundling enables owners to address multiple needs across the transportation system using standard and cost-effective rehabilitation and replacement strategies. The resulting economies of scale increase efficiency and create the potential for cost and time savings.
“Under the Pillen and the Ricketts administrations, the NDOT has made great strides to improve project delivery. Leveraging bridge bundling, the department created a direct benefit to the taxpayer,” Kramer said. “We continuously look for opportunities to innovate, like with the state’s newly established state infrastructure bank. With support from the Legislature, it creates governance framework to build upon the success of the County Bridge Match Program and scope projects that can be delivered faster and more efficiently.”
Construction on the projects began in spring 2026 and are anticipated to be complete in 2027.
