NORFOLK, NE — Governor Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) formalized a major step forward in the U.S. Highway 275 (U.S. 275) project, making a commitment to expedite completion.
Construction will start on the final corridor segment, Wisner to West Point, in spring of 2026. At an event, Pillen affirmed his commitment to have the entire corridor open to traffic by the end of 2028. Expediating the timeline has been a priority for the administration, with Pillen publicly tasking NDOT to make it happen. The department laid out elements of the strategic roadmap that is enabling the 2028 anticipated timeline.
NDOT was able to condense the delivery timeline of U.S. 275 due to the Nebraska Highway Bond Act and investments made through LB 1412 (2024). In 2023, Pillen authorized the Nebraska State Highway Commission to provide bond financing for projects under the Build Nebraska Act, including the Nebraska Expressway System. In December 2024, the State Highway Commission unanimously approved the state’s first highway bond issuance — up to $200 million — to finish the U.S. 275 expressway and fully connect northeast Nebraska to the interstate system and metropolitan areas.
“[This] celebration is a beautiful example of how state government can come together and get stuff done, get it solved, come together, and have solutions,” Pillen said at the event. “We’re in the final stretch of completing U.S. 275 from Norfolk all the way to Omaha. I’m really really proud of what our department has provided, the leadership to create innovative finance to make this happen.”
NDOT has steadily advanced construction along the corridor to by utilizing a 2+2 approach, which involves building two new lanes parallel to the existing ones. This strategy is designed to maximize the use of existing infrastructure while minimizing environmental impacts and traffic disruptions. Since 2023, NDOT has completed approximately 19 miles of the U.S. 275 corridor. With the three active segments, NDOT will have completed over 47 miles of the corridor in under six years.
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That additional funding through the bond issuances and LB 1412 jumpstarted the final series of construction segments on the corridor. The Scribner to West Point segment was completed in late 2024 with construction on the Nebraska Highway 57 east junction with Nebraska Highway 15, starting in April 2025. The East Junction 15 to Wisner project started in October 2025. Both of these ongoing projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
“This is an exciting day for Nebraska. We’ve been working diligently to modernize the way we deliver projects to responsibly add value without compromising safety or stewardship,” NDOT Director Vicki Kramer said. “We are grateful to Governor Pillen for the vision of what is possible when you run government like a business. With financing, NDOT can accelerate schedules, condensing construction timelines on corridors, providing immense safety and economic benefits.”
Graham Construction was awarded the contract for the Wisner to West Point segment. Hawkins Construction and Werner Construction Inc., both of whom are actively working on other portions of the expressway, were also recognized for their work.
Construction on the Wisner to West Point segment will take place while the roadway remains open to traffic, with lane closures and traffic control devices in place.
