Welcome

Project Scope

The SW 40th Street project begins at West "F" Street and ends at West Calvary Court. Included in the project is a bridge over Middle Creek and a bridge crossing the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. The bridges and roadway will be constructed as a 2-lane roadway from West "F" Street to the south edge of West "O" Street. From the north edge of West "O" street to West Calvary Court, the existing NW 40th Street pavement will be widened to the east by 9 feet in order to align the intersection with SW 40th Street.

A map of the project area showing the pavement and bridges in red can be viewed by following the Project Area link.

Existing Conditions

The existing roadway is a 2-lane rural roadway with gravel surfacing from West "F" Street to West "O" Street. North of West "O" Street, NW 40th Street is a paved 2-lane roadway with curb and gutter. Currently there is a bridge over Middle Creek and there was an at-grade crossing of the BNSF Railroad tracks. The condition of the bridge and the crossing are discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

The bridge over Middle Creek is currently rated as structurally deficient. A bridge inspection and load rating of the bridge found that the structure has a sufficiency rating of 35.7. In addition the bridge has a posted weight limit of nine tons. Structures with a sufficiency rating below 50 are considered strong candidates for major rehabilitation or replacement.

The at-grade crossing of the BNSF Railroad tracks has been closed since August 15, 2005. When the crossing was open, traffic was discouraged from traveling on SW 40th Street due to time consuming delays at the BNSF Railroad crossing. The traffic study for the project found that the crossing was blocked by rail traffic approximately 40% of the time.

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of this project is to improve the area transportation network by reducing the delay and extra travel due to the at-grade BNSF railroad crossing, along with serving the existing and future travel demands, and improving the safety of the traveling public along SW 40th Street in Lincoln. The goals are listed below:

• Enhance the safety of the public and the railroad
• Improve the operation of the area transportation system for its users by eliminating the delay at the BNSF rail crossing through construction of a grade separation over the railroad tracks
• Replace the deficient county bridge over Middle Creek

The BNSF Railroad projects a steady increase of 5% per year in train activity, and the trend is for trains to increase in length. The elimination of the at-grade railroad crossing on SW 40th Street provides safety, operational, and security benefits to the BNSF Railroad by providing a six-mile uninterrupted corridor on its mainline tracks.

For information on how the project achieves the goal of improving the operation of the area transportation system please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.

The new bridges over Middle Creek and the BNSF Railroad are designed to carry loads meeting the design criteria for a minor arterial roadway.

Source of Funding and the National Environmental Policy Act

The sources of project funding are the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, the BNSF Railroad, the Railroad Transportation Safety District, and Federal Aid funds administered through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Nebraska Department of Roads Local Projects Division.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is applicable to projects where federal funds are used, and has two primary purposes:

• to place upon an agency the obligation of considering every significant aspect of the environmental impact of a proposed action
• to ensure that the agency will inform the public that it has considered environmental concerns in its decision-making process

The FHWA is the lead federal agency for the project, and has determined that the project requires a Categorical Exclusion document as prescribed by the NEPA. The Categorical Exclusion document for the project was previously approved by the FHWA, however, the FHWA is currently re-evaluating the Categorical Exclusion document and the City is waiting for final approval. Once the FHWA completes the re-evaluation, a Notice to Proceed for Final Design will be issued.

Project Schedule

The project is currently undergoing preliminary design by Kirkham Michael Associates. Assuming that the notice to proceed for final design is issued in the upcoming months, the construction plans, contract documents and right-of-way acquisition are anticipated to be completed in Spring 2011. Construction is anticipated to begin in Fall 2011 provided that all agreements and funding are in place. SW 40th Street will reopen to traffic with a new viaduct in place in early 2014. The project schedule is dependant on acquisitions of right of way and easements, execution of agreements and NDOR/FHWA approval of project plans and specifications.

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