Lincoln South Beltway project stays on schedule, nearing completion

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -In about eight months, road work that has transformed a stretch of land south of Lincoln should actually make driving in the city much easier.

The idea is that the South Beltway will keep lots of semis from having to use Highway 2 through the Capital City, speeding up commute times for many drivers.

About $350 million and several traffic changes later, the Lincoln South Beltway is moving full steam ahead and is on track to be, for the most part, finished by May 1, 2023 and open to drivers. The beltway will bridge the gap between Highway 77 and Highway 2 just outside south Lincoln.

“This is the largest single project that NDOT has done to date,” said construction engineer Curt Mueting. “And it’s a very tight timeline, we put a very tight timeline on this to get it done.”

Right now, there are some headaches and road closures while the work continues. Mueting said they’ve been in contact with businesses feeling the impacts.

“I think they understand that this will be a very nice project when it’s done,” Mueting said. “And they’re willing to, to, you know, suffer a little bit during this construction period.”

While the project will be substantially completed by this upcoming May, it’ll still be worked on for an additional year after that, adding things like roundabouts. Despite worldwide supply chain issues and worker shortages, Mueting says contractors have found a way to make things work and stay on schedule.

“So far, we’ve been lucky, there’s been a couple of scares, but most time, for most part, it’s, it’s been good,” Mueting said.

You can stay up-to-date on the project and any construction-related traffic changes by clicking here.

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