The public hearing discussed about 18.5 miles of improvements on Highway 26 and L62A in Scotts Bluff and Morrill counites. The project would start on Highway 26, just west of Minatare’s Main Street, and extend east to the junction of Highway 26 and L-62A. The project would continue east on L-62A to the junction with U.S. Highway 385.

The proposed project cost is about $94.7 million and would come from federal and state funding sources. Construction is anticipated to begin as early as spring 2026. The highway project is among those on a designated National Highway System (NHS) High Priority Corridor, as it is one of the legs of the Heartland Expressway Corridor awaiting completion in Nebraska. While alternative construction options were outlined, the preferred construction would entail two additional lanes of highway being constructed north of the existing highway to widen the roadway to a four-lane expressway. Doug Hoevet, District 5 NDOT engineer based out of Gering, said 103 citizens signed in at the door, though more could have been present for the hearing and not signed in.

NDOT staff had maps and boards posted around the gym for the public to view as well as staff from different departments to answer questions.

“If you had a traffic question, you go talk to a traffic person, or environmental question, you talk to an environmental person,”

Hoevet said. Hoevet said he was pleased with the amount of people who showed up for the hearing.

“It was a great turnout,” he said. “All these projects are important … (just) have more importance to some folks than other folks.”

In simplistic terms, Hoevet explained, the project itself is about access.

“We know that all of the properties along that corridor need access,” he said. “If you’ve got access to the highway today, how do we provide you access tomorrow, once the project is complete?”

The design right now is not final, which is why the DOT is still having public hearings.

“When we have this meeting and the landowner says, ‘Oh, wow, that’s an unusual place for that driveway: You didn’t know my septic system was right there.’ And they’re right. We don’t know that,” Hoevet said.

The night started with a welcome from Doug Leafgreen, State Highway Commissioner for District 5. Each DOT staff -- Hoevet, Public Involvement Specialist Sierra Luhn, Project Manager Dawn Knott and Environmental Section Manager Jason Jurgens -- read through slides explaining each section pertaining to their area of expertise.

Afterward, Luhn opened a public forum, where members of the public were able to voice their concerns.

Senators Steve Erdman and Brian Hardin spoke first.

Erdman spoke about the importance of reviewing all documents before making decisions.

“I would recommend that no one in this room that’s going to deal with the road department sign anything until you have legal counsel review your documents,” he said.

Hardin, on the other hand, simply offered to be someone to listen to, giving his phone number to the entire room for anyone who wanted to express concerns.

Scotts Bluff County Commissioner Mark Harris and Alliance City Manager Seth Sorensen, who are both members of the Heartland Expressway Coalition, also spoke of the economic benefits of the corridor project.

Others voiced their concerns against the project. Melissa Leibnitz said she had written letters after a previous public hearing and she is unhappy with the results.

“This is going to be very detrimental to us,” according to Leibnitz. “We can’t just pick up and move our property. We take pride in keeping and maintaining (it).”

Ben Janssen and his family have farmland to the north and a home on the south at the intersection of Highway 26 and County Road 36. He said his main concern is the increase of speed with the addition of the second set of lanes.

“If people get in wrecks, how are we going to be safe if a semi veers off the road and comes flying through our houses with these increased speeds?” Janssen asked.

During the public forum, DOT staff members did not respond to the public comments, however, during the open house period following, staff made themselves available to answer questions.

“During that open house time if (someone) had a question about drainage or access then I could point you to the right person,” Hoevet said.

According to a fact sheet provided, the intersections would be improved throughout the project and there would be controlled access throughout the project.

The DOT will be taking comments on the corridor until Dec. 6.

More information on the project can be found at ndot.info/51521.

Hoevet can be contacted at doug.hoevet@nebraska.gov or 308-436-6587. Luhn can be contacted at sierra.luhn@nebraska.gov or 402-479-3103.

The Council reviewed and accepted both the current meeting agenda and the minutes from the October 22nd meeting.

There was discussion regarding the placement of temporary toilets at the ballfield. They are currently waiting on delivery and placement of a portable toilet system and are actively working on a long-term, permanent solution.

Council member Brueggeman stated that the Tree Board met and discussed the removal of several trees and noted that–per grant stipulations–for every tree removed one must be replanted.

Council member Bishop updated the Council regarding a few Parks and Rec Board items including renovation of a few park benches which will be continued in the spring.

City Finacials were underway but would need to be reviewed at the next meeting due to a software issue that has since been resolved. There were no public comments or unfinished business to hear.

First up for new business was the development of the parking lot north of the City Offices.

After reviewing options, the Council decided that they would select a couple options in the amount of $16,950.00, which would result in a usable parking surface in the shortest amount of time.

The council then quickly moved on to accept the signing of the Year-End Certification of City Street Superintendent as well as the 2025 Nebraska Department of Transportation Maintenance Agreement Renewal in the amount of $3,918.20, which is a slight increase.

LPD will assign additional officers to conduct high-visibility traffic enforcement to deter drunk driving, according to a news release. The effort is part of the nationwide "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign.

Law enforcement officers will take a zero-tolerance approach to drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They will also watch for other traffic and safety violations.

In 2020, alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska resulted in 76 deaths and more than 600 injuries.

Preliminary reports for 2023 show that alcohol was involved in 30% of all traffic deaths. Nearly 62% of those deaths involved people who were not wearing seatbelts.

According to law enforcement, LPD issued 1,256 citations for driving under the influence in 2023 — an increase of more than 14% compared to 2022.

The traffic enforcement campaign will last through Dec. 31. The initiative is made possible by a grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office.