Interstate 80 in Nebraska

This article is about the section of Interstate 80 in Nebraska. For the entire length of the highway, see Interstate 80.

Interstate 80
Route information
Maintained by NDOR
Length:	455.32 mi (732.77 km)
Existed:	1957 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-80 at Wyoming state line
	N-71 in Kimball I-76 near Big Springs US-26 in Ogallala US-83 in North Platte US-281 in Grand Island US-81 near York US-77 in Lincoln I-180 in Lincoln I-680 in Omaha I-480 / US-75 in Omaha
East end:	I-80 at Iowa state line
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Business Nebraska Highways Link Spur Recreation ← N-79 US 81 →

In the U.S. state of Nebraska, Interstate 80 runs west from Omaha to the Wyoming state border, ultimately terminating in San Francisco, California. When it completed construction of the stretch of Interstate 80 spanning the state on October 19, 1974, Nebraska was the first state in the nation to complete its mainline Interstate Highway System.

Nebraska has more than fifty exits along Interstate 80. According to the New York Times there are several notable tourist attractions along Nebraska's section of I-80. It is the only interstate highway to go from one end of the state to another, as Nebraska has no major north-south interstate route. Except for a three mile portion of Interstate 76 near the Colorado state line, I-80 is the only primary (two-digit) Interstate Highway in Nebraska.

History

Interstate 80 in May, 1973

Built along the pathway of the Great Platte River Road, I-80 in Nebraska follows the same route as many historic trails, including the Oregon Trail, the California Trail and the Mormon Trail. Starting in 1957 after federal funding was allotted, Nebraskans began planning their interstate construction. Led by the Nebraska State Highway Commission, there were hearings across the state to decide where the route was going to be. Aside from the federally-mandated "control points" in Omaha and Scottsbluff, the route could vary across the state. Dozens of meetings were held in Grand Island, Kearney and North Platte, among other locations. The commission addressed issues of whether the highway would be north or south of the Platte River or whether it would follow U.S. 30. The South Platte Chamber of Commerce and various cities were very active in these sessions, and debate over where the Interstate would be constructed continued into the 1960s.

After the first contract for building the interstate was awarded in 1957, a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) section near Gretna was the first section to be completed that year. The first long segment to be opened was a fifty mile section between Dodge Street in Omaha and the West Lincoln interchange in Lincoln in 1961. During a "Golden Link" ceremony, the last section of I-80 in Nebraska was completed when a brass connector was inserted in the roadway near Sidney on April 1, 1974. This was designed to keep in tradition with the golden spike on the railroads in 1869.

The total length of the Nebraska section is 455.27 miles (732.69 km) long, and was completed at a cost of $435 million.

I-80 in Omaha, Nebraska looking west at its interchange with Interstate 680

The Interstate passes through 15 counties in the state: Kimball, Cheyenne, Deuel, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson, Buffalo, Hall, Hamilton, York, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Sarpy, and Douglas.

Designated sections

1955 map showing the future routes of Interstates in Lincoln, including I-80.

The entirety of the Interstate Highway System was named the "Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways" in 1990, and the first signage in Nebraska was posted in 1993. Several sections of I-80 in Nebraska have special designations. The I-80 intersection with US-34 has been designated a "Purple Heart Memorial Highway", and South 108th Street bridge over I-80 in Omaha has been designated the "Purple Heart Bridge", both in honor of all recipients of the Purple Heart. A section of I-80 in Nebraska is also designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

Legacy

The beginning of the I-80 construction in Nebraska in 1957 led the Nebraska Legislature to split the Department of Roads and Irrigation in order to create three separate agencies in the state, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Water Resources and the Department of Roads, which was the first Nebraska agency solely responsible for highway planning, construction, and maintenance in Nebraska history.

Interstate construction led the state to focus on other highways in Nebraska, as well. Surfaced shoulders, new safety sections beyond shoulders and other developments across the state were attributed to the influence of the Interstate. The 1965 state Legislature also authorized a study of the needs of every public road in Nebraska, including state highways, county roads, and city streets.

Details

In Nebraska, I-80 has 82 interchanges, 442 bridges are on or over the roadway and 25 rest areas and one scenic overlook, each spaced 35–50 miles apart for convenience. The I-80 rights-of-way in Nebraska feature 28 types of grasses and forbs, 31 types of shrubs, 12 varieties of coniferous trees, and 39 types of deciduous trees are planted on the median of I-80 in Nebraska. There are also 570 informational and directional signs along the way.

Speeds

The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney, which spans Interstate 80.

The following are speed limits that have existed on I-80 in Nebraska since it was opened in 1957.

Speed limits on I-80 in Nebraska
Year	Speed limit(s)
1960	70 mph (110 km/h) on the rural interstate.
1964	75 mph (121 km/h) for cars and 65 mph (105 km/h) for trucks in rural areas.
1974	55 mph (89 km/h) national speed limit, effective March 3, 1974.
1987	65 mph (105 km/h) on the rural interstate.
1995	75 mph (121 km/h) on the rural interstate.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Kimball		0.48	1	L-53B (I-80 Bus. west) to US-30 - Pine Bluffs
		8.46	8	L-53C – Bushnell
		20.70	20	N-71 – Scottsbluff, Kimball
		22.69	22	Kimball (L-53E)
		29.76	29	L-53A – Dix
Cheyenne		38.96	38	L-17B – Potter
		48.92	48	L-17C
		55.37	55	I-80 Bus. east / N-19 – Sidney
	Sidney	59.92	59	I-80 Bus. west / L-17J to US-385 – Sidney, Bridgeport
		69.63	69	L-17E – Sunol
		76.61	76	L-17F – Lodgepole
Deuel		85.22	85	L-25A – Chappell
		95.02	95	N-27 - Julesburg, Oshkosh
		101.19	101	US-138 – Big Springs, Julesburg
		102.59	102	I-76 west – Denver
		107.36	107	L-25B – Big Springs
Keith		117.25	117	L-51A – Brule
	Ogallala	126.69	126	US-26 / N-61 – Ogallala, Grant
		133.96	133	L-51B – Roscoe
		145.65	145	L-51C – Paxton
Lincoln		158.01	158	N-25 – Sutherland, Wallace
		164.52	164	L-56C – Hershey
	North Platte	177.16	177	US-83 – North Platte, McCook
		179.22	179	L-56G to US-30 – North Platte
		190.45	190	S-56A – Maxwell
		198.98	199	L-56D – Brady
Dawson	Gothenburg	211.79	211	N-47 – Gothenburg
	Cozad	222.46	222	N-21 – Cozad
		231.10	231	L-24A – Darr
		237.20	237	US-283 – Arapahoe, Lexington, Elwood
		248.53	248	L-24B – Overton
Buffalo		257.00	257	US-183 – Holdrege, Elm Creek
		263.67	263	L-10B – Odessa
	Kearney	272.60	272	N-44 – Kearney, Archway Monument
		279.90	279	N-10 – Minden
		285.63	285	L-10C – Gibbon
		291.36	291	L-10D – Shelton, Kenesaw
Hall		300.10	300	N-11 (S-40D) – Wood River
		305.66	305	L-40C – Alda
	Grand Island	312.07	312	US-34 / US-281 – Hastings, Grand Island
		314.11	314	Locust Street – Grand Island
Hamilton		318.16	318	N-2 – Phillips, Grand Island
		324.16	324	S-41B – Giltner
		332.17	332	N-14 – Aurora
		338.14	338	L-41D – Hampton
York		342.13	342	S-93A – Henderson
		348.11	348	L-93E – Bradshaw
	York	353.10	353	US-81 – Geneva, York
		360.13	360	L-93B – Waco
Seward		366.15	366	L-80F – Utica
		369.14	369	L-80E – Beaver Crossing
		373.11	373	L-80G – Goehner
		379.11	379	N-15 – Seward, Fairbury
		382.11	382	Milford (L-80H)
		388.13	388	N-103 – Crete
Lancaster	Lincoln	395.61	395	To US-6 / Northwest 48th Street (L-55K)
		396.36	396	US-6 (West O Street)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance Westbound exit is via exit 397
		397.27	397	US-77 south – Beatrice	West end of US 77 overlap
		399.03	399	Lincoln Municipal Airport
		401.04	401	I-180 / US-34 (9th Street) – Downtown Lincoln	Signed as exits 401A (south/east) and 401B (west)
		403.49	403	27th Street – State Fair Park
		405.76	405	US-77 north (North 56th Street, L-55X) – Fremont, Wahoo	East end of US 77 overlap
		409.76	409	US-6 – East Lincoln, Waverly
Cass		420.94	420	N-63 – Ashland, Greenwood
		426.07	426	N-66 – Mahoney State Park, Ashland, South Bend	Strategic Air and Space Museum
Sarpy		432.95	432	N-31 to US-6 – Gretna, Louisville
		439.20	439	N-370 – Bellevue, Papillion, Gretna	Werner Park (stadium), Offutt Air Force Base
		440.65	440	N-50 – Springfield, Millard, Louisville
		442.90	442	Giles Road, Harrison Street
Douglas	Omaha		444	Q Street	Westbound exit only
		445.05	445	US-275 / N-92 (L Street)
			445	I Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		445.98	446	I-680 north
		448.30	448	84th Street
		449.31	449	72nd Street
		450.32	450	60th Street
		451.84	451	42nd Street
		452.86	452	I-480 north / US-75 (Kennedy Freeway) – Downtown Omaha	Eppley Airfield (north), Bellevue (south)
		453.05	453	24th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		454.15	454	13th Street - Lauritzen Gardens / Henry Doorly Zoo
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

Interstate 80 has three auxiliary routes in Nebraska. One is a loop around the city of Omaha, one is a loop through the city of Omaha, and the other is a spur into Lincoln.

- Interstate 480 is a 4.9-mile (7.9 km) loop route in Omaha extending from Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs west towards I-80. It serves as the inner of two loops in Omaha. Signed as US 6 for a mile across the Missouri River, when the Interstate meets with the North Freeway and turns south it becomes US 75.

- Interstate 680 is a 42.86-mile (68.98 km) loop around the city of Omaha. It serves as the outer of the two Omaha loops.

- Interstate 180 is a 3.47-mile (5.58 km) spur into the city of Lincoln.

See also

• History of Nebraska
• Transportation in Omaha, Nebraska

Bibliography

• Mattes, M.J. (1969) The Great Platte River Road. University of Nebraska Press.
• Frazier, I. (1989) Great Plains. Knopf.
• Nebraska State Historical Society. Historic Places: The National Register for Nebraska. Published by Nebraskaland Magazine.

External links

Template:Attached_KML/Interstate 80 in Nebraska

• Nebraska Department of Roads
• 1963 photos of construction in Omaha.
• I-80 Nebraska. An official promotional website for nine counties in central and western Nebraska.

Interstate 80
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