With a few small spots where concrete was still curing or rights of way and sidewalks were to be cleaned, workers had finished work on the 1.1-mile, $9.9 million reconstruction project as December began, meeting the city’s target date.

A celebratory ribbon cutting will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, on the Seward County Courthouse Square, according to City Administrator Greg Butcher.

Butcher said “big kudos” are needed for the Nebraska Department of Transportation team, led by Highway Project Manager Brian Schoen, the Constructors team and city staff who have worked on the project.

The work was originally expected to take two years. It has taken just one year, but not without some challenges and stress.

“We are kind of suffering from one-year-of-construction fatigue,” Butcher said. “It’s nice to have a little relief.”

Butcher said residents have commented about the sheer number of capital improvement projects going on in Seward this year.

“This is the most they have ever seen going on at one time in Seward. And we are like, yeah. It’s a lot.” Butcher said.

Some grass planting, curb cleanup and other finishing touches will be tackled in March or April, Butcher said.

The Highway 15 reconstruction project began just south of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad crossing and continues to North Avenue, adding a two-way left turn center lane from Jackson Avenue to North Avenue, a new right turn lane near the high school, and resurfacing from North Avenue to Pinewood Avenue.

In conjunction with the project, the city has also had crews replacing storm sewers and making other updates to the areas being reconstructed. Some unanticipated projects necessitated by aging water mains, utility lines, ground conditions, and weather issues also had to be addressed.

In the spring, the city hopes to complete the work around the new water tower, complete its decorative painting and begin removing the old water tower, but none of those projects should interfere with Highway 15 traffic.

The area under the tower has been made a parking lot and will eventually have a few “telecommunication huts” for area service providers. When the old tower is removed, that area will be utilized by the city streets department to facilitate the movement of heavy equipment.

The painting project, which was to have begun this fall, awaits warmer temperatures after the original contractor incurred some problems.

Other spring projects will include work on Worthman Road, the main road into the Rail Campus south of downtown and west of Highway 15, and roadwork on Hillcrest Drive east to the Plum Creek bridge, which will include the addition of a paved trail connecting the existing biking and walking trails from one side of Hilcrest to the other.

Seward’s new wastewater treatment plant project – which Butcher said will likely be the largest capital expenditure the city will ever have taken on – remains in the design stage as city officials continue to work on funding options for the $32 million facility.

Butcher said the city has exercised due diligence by implementing rate increases to save some funds for the project. They continue to seek state and/or federal grant and loan programs for assistance.

The Seward County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation to add patrols between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. each night from Dec. 11 to Jan. 1. Sgt. Troy Schaefer said the grant will pay the overtime for officers choosing to work additional hours.

The patrols are in addition to the regular shifts already scheduled. Working the extra hours is up to the deputies, he said.

“We want to prevent crashes that are behavior related,” he said.

That means officers will watch specifically for drivers who are inattentive and/or intoxicated. Inexperienced drivers are also included because they don’t have the same amount of time behind the wheel, he said.

Schaefer said the department wants to reduce the number of crashes within the county. In 2022, there were 198 total crashes with six fatalities and 93 of the wrecks were behavior related. In 2023, the total jumped to 242 with one death on paved roads, and 109 were behavior related.

“We are out to eliminate crashes and fatalities,” he said.

Officers will be looking for DUI (driving under the influence), DUID (driving under the influence-drugged) and MIP (minor in possession). DUID includes both illegal substances and prescription medication.

“That’s becoming more common,” Schaefer said. “Pay attention to your medication. You don’t realize what it does to you.”

He said people around a person often notice medication effects more than the person taking the meds.

When it comes to identifying an impaired driver, officers watch for driving patterns – swerving, speed changes and more. Officers will also be looking for people texting and driving, something they see a lot of.

A person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 is legally impaired. Schaefer said there are multiple ways to prove impairment.

A DUI conviction costs, on average, $10,000, which includes court costs, missed work, increased insurance and more. Drivers can lose their license, vehicle, and sometimes their job. Schaefer said DUIs total $57 billion across the country in a year.

“Please don’t do this,” he said.

The grant will allow more officers to patrol, saturating areas throughout the county, Schaefer said. Roads that might see extra patrols include Highways 15 and 34, Interstate 80, 426nd Road, 420th Road and 238th Road.

The grant does not include patrols inside the Seward or Milford city limits.

The sheriff’s department has received grants like this before, and Schaefer said if they have the officers to support the program, they’ll go ahead with it.

“It’s strictly volunteer shifts,” he said. “We ask for a number of hours, and they set the schedule.”

With the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays included in the grant time frame, Schaefer recommended being responsible.

If you choose to drink, have a sober driver to take you home. If you’re the sober driver, stay sober.

If you’re not certain of your ability behind the wheel, have someone else drive.

“Let’s cut crashes down,” he said. “If we save just one life, it’s worth it.”