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NDOT outlines District 3 projects; Marissa Keen appointed Highway Commission secretary
Summary
NDOT staff briefed the commission on District 3 work in northeast Nebraska (US‑275, US‑81, Loup River bridge, Decatur–Gretna crossing) and appointed Marissa Keen as the Highway Commission secretary. A resident questioned US‑81 sequencing; NDOT said right‑of‑way and cash‑flow limit simultaneous corridor builds.
At the March 27 meeting in Columbus, the Nebraska Department of Transportation highlighted work in District 3 and appointed Marissa Keen as the Highway Commission secretary (Public Involvement Manager).
Commissioner Kobel introduced the district. Kevin Dunalaga, District 3 engineer, summarized the district’s makeup—about 3,400 lane miles across 15 counties and roughly 190 employees—and described recent accomplishments including expressway work (about 9 miles near West Point), the multi‑year 23rd Street reconstruction in Columbus and a reconstruction segment on US‑81 near Norfolk. Dunalaga noted work to continue on US‑275 (28 miles remaining in three projects), and reported the southbound Loup River bridge replacement south of Columbus is ahead of schedule.
Rob Davis, district construction engineer, noted the district’s award recognition and outlined current construction and rehabilitation projects. The district’s one‑year and six‑year programs include rehab of US‑275 corridors, US‑20 work near South Sioux City and a planned roundabout at the US‑81/12 junction to reduce high‑speed crashes. Dunalaga also flagged the Decatur–Gretna Missouri River crossing (Nebraska lead for the shared bridge), with a public hearing scheduled next week to discuss the preferred alternative and environmental assessment.
During the public comment period, resident Jim Bulkley asked why the US‑81 expansion between Columbus and York would not be built from both ends toward the middle to provide earlier community benefit. "Why would we not start at both ends and work to the middle?" Bulkley asked. NDOT engineering staff (Cleo) replied that sequencing is driven by right‑of‑way acquisition, environmental work and the department’s available cash flow; the agency lacks resources to acquire the full corridor and therefore programs work in segments.
The commission also celebrated outreach activities: NDOT reported nearly 4,500 elementary student submissions in its fifth annual snowplow name contest from 211 schools, and staff thanked communities for patience on major projects in Columbus. Marissa Keen was moved, seconded and appointed to serve as the commission secretary.
NDOT listed a series of upcoming public meetings including a Decatur Bridge public hearing on March 31 (Decatur City Hall), a Mead US‑31 public meeting on May 5 (Utica), the South Papillion Road Bridge study meeting on May 7 (Bellevue), and multiple US‑75 corridor meetings in May (including a presence at the Cinco de Mayo Omaha Festival).
