Governor Jim Pillen (R) recently hosted an event with the Build America Bureau, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to highlight a new initiative to accelerate the delivery of transportation projects across seven counties in Nebraska.
[Above photo by Nebraska DOT]
Dubbed the Accelerating Critical Connections for Elevating Livability in Nebraska or ACCEL-NE program, this new initiative will establish a Regional Infrastructure Accelerator or RIA designed to help Nebraska DOT develop a project delivery framework that creates a culture of efficiency using alternative delivery, innovative finance, and public-private partnerships.
This new endeavor is being seeded with $5.15 million in federal funds from the Build America Bureau and FHWA, which includes a $1.15 million Regional Infrastructure Accelerator grant; $2 million through the Innovative Finance and Asset Concession or IFAC program; and $2 million awarded with the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency under the Prioritization Process Pilot Program.
The IFAC funding will be split into two grants, Nebraska DOT noted: One $1 million grant will support an asset scan of nine selected Omaha-metro area projects and the I-80 corridor between downtown Omaha and Lincoln, while the second $1 million grant will evaluate the financial feasibility of redeveloping a 20-acre parcel of state-owned land beneath and adjacent to the I-480/Dodge Street interchange in Omaha, known as “The Stitch.”
This funding will help make ACCEL-NE become one of the first state DOT-led RIA’s, providing technical assistance, resources and grants to help local entities bundle smaller projects, develop innovative funding strategies and leverage financing programs to deliver more infrastructure, Gov. Pillen said in a statement.
“This is another win for Nebraska competitiveness,” he explained. “We are expanding and improving Nebraska’s transportation infrastructure to grow opportunity for the next generation. Transportation investments in Nebraska mean a more resilient supply chain and enhanced food security, while improving mobility for our residents.”
The governor added that the ACCEL-NE is comprised of more than $6 billion in priority transportation projects across a region that includes Omaha and Lincoln, plus the surrounding suburban and rural areas.
“This next step takes a series of projects that are known needs and matches resources to challenges,” noted Vicki Kramer, director of the Nebraska DOT. That initial federal funding will help the agency “create a roadmap to deliver the transportation system Nebraskans deserve,” she added.
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