LINCOLN, NE — Governor Jim Pillen joined the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau (USDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) to highlight a new initiative to accelerate the delivery of transportation projects across seven counties in Nebraska. The initiative is fueled through $5.15 million in federal funds from the Build America Bureau and FHWA.
“This is another win for Nebraska competitiveness,” Pillen said. “We are expanding and improving Nebraska’s transportation infrastructure to grow opportunity for the next generation. Transportation investments in Nebraska mean a more resilient supply chain and enhanced food security, while improving mobility for our residents.”
The awards include a $1.15 million Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) Grant to fund the Accelerating Critical Connections for Elevating Livability in Nebraska (ACCEL-NE) Program, $2 million through the Innovative Finance and Asset Concession (IFAC) Program, and $2 million awarded with the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency under the Prioritization Process Pilot Program.
"Under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s leadership, the department is focusing on innovative projects that enhance mobility and safety while connecting our country and our people,” Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster said. “With these grants, we’re providing valuable technical assistance to deliver infrastructure projects more efficiently in support of our economy. I want to thank Governor Pillen for his leadership and Nebraska DOT for its good work."
ACCEL-NE will establish a Regional Infrastructure Accelerator designed to help NDOT develop a project delivery framework that creates a culture of efficiency using alternative delivery, innovative finance, and public-private partnerships. ACCEL-NE is comprised of more than $6 billion in priority transportation projects across a region that includes Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, and the surrounding suburban and rural areas.
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With this funding, ACCEL-NE will become one of the first state DOT-led RIA’s, providing technical assistance, resources, and grants to help local entities bundle smaller projects, develop innovative funding strategies, and leverage financing programs to deliver more infrastructure.
"Strengthening collaboration and building capacity at all levels to explore innovative approaches, such as public-private partnerships, is essential to addressing America’s infrastructure challenges," Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian, Ph.D., said. "The hands-on technical assistance provided through our RIA and IFAC programs will help Nebraska navigate complex development challenges, generate additional value, and expedite delivery of critical infrastructure upgrades faster and at lower cost to the American taxpayer."
The state also received two $1 million IFAC grants. One grant will support an asset scan of nine selected Omaha-metro area projects and the I-80 corridor between downtown Omaha and Lincoln. The second grant will evaluate the financial feasibility of redeveloping a 20-acre parcel of state-owned land beneath and adjacent to the I-480/Dodge Street interchange in Omaha, known as “The Stitch.”
“[We are celebrating] over three years of work to modernize NDOT’s business practices," NDOT Director Vicki Kramer said. “Under Governor Pillen’s direction, NDOT has expediated projects by streamlining environmental practices and drastically cut construction schedules on important corridors like U.S. 275. We are delivering faster, safer, and more efficiently for Nebraskans. This next step takes a series of projects that are known needs and matches resources to challenges. I appreciate the support of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and our Build America Bureau and FHWA partners, through these four technical assistance grants, NDOT will be able to create a roadmap to deliver the transportation system Nebraskans deserve.”
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The IFAC awards will complement that work by further leveraging federal support in evaluating opportunities for use of alternative delivery, innovative finance, and public-private partnerships. This will include asset concessions along key corridors of the state and at The Stitch, generating data that will inform financing decisions across the broader project portfolio.
