The Nebraska Department of Transportation released a comprehensive Metro Area Travel Improvement Study (MTIS) on February 13 that provides a “planning road map” for improvements to the freeway system in the Omaha metro area over the next 20 to 30 years.
“The development Nebraska has experienced over the last 10 years is a testament to the value the state puts on growing the economy through smart investments,” said Kyle Schneweis, the agency’s director, in a statement.
“This report helps refine the vision for the needs of the state’s largest transportation network,” he added. “[But] publishing it doesn’t change our commitment to preserving and modernizing the state’s 10,000 miles of highway to build and maintain a resilient infrastructure system to support a growing Nebraska.”
The MTIS is the culmination of a six-year collaborative study by the Nebraska DOT and the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency; providing a vision of what the transportation network in the Omaha metro area needs in order to maintain sustainable transportation growth – including recommendations for maintenance to existing roadways as well as additional highway improvements. NDOT will continue to work closely with key partners in the metro area to develop and refine the plan.
The Nebraska DOT noted that any anticipated construction resulting from this plan would not begin until 2025.