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Cross Roads feasibility study for Lincoln County on pause while federal review proceeds, commissioner says
Summary
Commissioner Burns told the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on March 17 that the countyCross Roads feasibility study tied to a RAISE grant is paused while federal review of programs continues. NDOT is administering the grant, a consultant has been selected, and no federal funds have been released to the county.
Commissioner Burns updated the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on March 17 that the Cross Roads Feasibility Study, funded through a RAISE grant, is currently on pause while federal authorities review program expenditures.
"Our project is merely on pause as they're reviewing all the different programs," Commissioner Burns said, adding that the countyDepartment of Transportation liaison Jody Gibson told him that other programs are starting to be greenlit. Burns said the consultant has been selected and paperwork has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for final review.
Burns told the board the county has not received any grant funds into its accounts because the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is administering the grant and handling project billing and financials. He said that arrangement relieves the county clerk's office of extra accounting duties. The county budget includes a $750,000 placeholder for the RAISE feasibility study as a contingency in case the county had to manage funds directly.
Board members asked about timing and any deadlines. Burns said the grant carries an approximate four-year window and that the project's planning phase is scheduled for roughly 18 months, leaving the county well within the timeline. He expressed confidence the project will proceed once federal review concludes but noted the pause is tied to a broader federal review of expenditures.
Burns said he would notify the board as soon as NDOT receives a finalized, signed grant agreement from the Federal Highway Administration so the county can give notice to the selected consultant, JEO, to begin work including public engagement.
The boarddiscussion referenced a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference-call update that advised counties to pause if grant funds are not sitting in local bank accounts; the recorder noted that guidance was consistent with the countyposition to await final federal action before any county-level expenditures.
No formal vote was taken on the item; the update was provided as an informational committee-style briefing.
