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(pdf file - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (developed by the Scottsbluff/Gering Chamber of Commerce & TCD) (developed by the Scottsbluff/Gering Chamber of Commerce, TCD, & the City of Scottsbluff)
Heartland Expressway Marker
Nebraska Transport Co.
Federal Express
UPS
Great Lakes Aviation
Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Union Pacific
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Transportation Major Intersections/Traffic Counts News About the Heartland Expressway
MEAN Travel Time to Work, Workers age 16+ (2000) – 14.9 minutes
OVERVIEW OF SCOTTSBLUFF STREETS The street system in Scottsbluff is characterized by a grid pattern of streets, intersected by two bypass routes that form a loop around much of the developed portions of the city. The grid system of major streets continues into areas lying outside the corporate boundary. Curvilinear street design is found in several of the newer residential subdivisions. Scottsbluff is currently serves by two bypass routes. These include US Highway 26, which bisects the northern half of the community in a northwest to southeast direction, and Nebraska State Highway 71, which provides access around the west side of the community. A future bypass around the southeast portion of the community is scheduled to be constructed in the near future. Bypasses to the west and east of Scottsbluff will serve to separate local and through traffic. The arterial street system within the City attempts to provide a balanced flow of traffic in both north/south and east/west directions between major activity centers within the community. Primary north/south routs of travel include Avenue I (which is also Nebraska State Highway 71), Avenue B, Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 21st Avenue. Major east/west arterials include 27th Street, 20th Street, Overland Drive, and the South Beltline Highway. Traffic on streets intersecting primary thoroughfares is controlled by stop signs, which permit an uninterrupted flow of traffic. All intersections of major streets are controlled with either traffic signals or four-way stops. In 2002, the City of Scottsbluff commissioned Kirkham-Michael Consulting Engineers to study possible railroad overpass locations and at-grade crossing closures. The City has not made an overpass decision at this time. Possible at-grade rail crossing closures include the existing Highway 71 crossing, the West 27th Street crossing (on gravel road), and potentially the 9th Street crossing.
The
Heartland Expressway: The Heartland Expressway is one of 43 Federally designated high priority corridors. When completed, the Heartland Expressway will provide multi-lane divided highway access between Rapid City, South Dakota and Denver, Colorado via Alliance, NE, Scottsbluff, NE, and Brush, CO . MAP This corridor will also provide access to Colorado Springs, CO via Limon, CO . The Heartland Expressway is centered at the heart of the Great Plains Trade Corridor , a proposed four-lane artery which will connect the metropolitan cities and regional trade centers of the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico . MAP
Status of the Great Plains Trade Corridor and the Heartland Expressway: Significant progress has been made on the Great Plains Trade Corridor . Roughly one-third of the corridor is complete, including nearly half of the Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor . Completed sections of the Great Plains Trade Corridor , from south to north: • Autopista 85 for 161 miles from Monterrey , Mexico to Laredo , TX ; • Interstate 35 for 14 miles north of Laredo ; • US 277 for 2 miles south of Del Rio ; • US 277 for 4 miles north of Del Rio ; • US 277 for 5 miles south of San Angelo ; • US 87/I-27/US 287 for 380 miles from San Angelo to Strafford , TX , except for a 20 mile stretch south of Big Springs; • US 191/I-20 for 15 miles around Midland ; • US 87 for 14 miles south and 2 miles north of Dalhart; • US 87 for 9 miles west of Texas/New Mexico border; • US 287 for 2 miles south and 8 miles north of Lamar , CO ; • I-70 for 87 miles from Limon , CO to Denver , CO ; • I-76 for 92 miles from Denver to Brush, CO; • NE 71 for 35 miles from 4 miles north of Kimball to Gering; • SD Highway 79 for 15 miles from Hermosa , SD to Rapid City ; • I-90 for 51 miles from Rapid City to Spearfish, SD; • Highway 2 for 19 miles North of Williston , ND . • Canada Route 11 for 155 miles from Regina to Saskatoon Projects under construction include: • NE Highway 26 for 10 miles between Scottsbluff and Minatare , NE. May be completed by Fall 2003. • SD Highway 79 for 34 miles between Hermosa and Maverick Junction (east of Hot Springs ). May be completed by 2006. • Scottsbluff/Gering Bypass for 6.7 miles to begin Fall 2003. May be completed in 2005. •
Highway 85 for 11 miles from Spearfish, SD to Belle Fourche ,
SD. May be completed in 2004. The remainder of the corridor is presently 2-lane highway. Federal Feasibility Studies have been completed for the remainder of the Great Plains Trade Corridor except for CO Highway 24 from Colorado Springs to Limon, CO; Highway 71 from Limon, CO to Brush, CO; and SD Highway 79/US Highway 85 from Sturgis, SD to the North Dakota/Canada border. Colorado has, however, reviewed their aforementioned routes as part of the 2002 Eastern Colorado Mobility Study.
Newspaper Articles:
Kimball
Bypass Slated to be Done by 2009
Completion of the Nebraska Highway 71 Expressway bypass around Kimball has been moved up by three years.
Scottsbluff/Gering
Bypass Ahead of Schedule The State Highway Commissioner for District 5 says he is pleased with the progress of the Highway 71 Expressway Bypass.
"It seems they are way ahead of schedule," Commissioner Doug Leafgreen said after Wednesday's meeting of the Gering Business Club. "It's just been amazing to see the amount of work they have been able to do."
Leafgreen said the Bypass is an important part of the Heartland Expressway that will connect Denver and Rapid City , S.D. The Heartland Expressway is part of a larger Great Plains Corridor connecting Canada with Mexico .
A 1988 transportation bill identified the Denver-to-Rapid City route as a high-priority corridor and authorized $30 million to be divided between projects in Nebraska and Rapid City .
About two years ago, Highway 71 through eastern Colorado and western Nebraska was identified as the best road to be included in the Great Plains Corridor, and South Dakota and Colorado highway officials agreed.
A recent push by several Wyoming officials to have Highway 85 from Cheyenne to Lusk designated as the preferred corridor route may not get very far, Leafgreen said.
Leafgreen suggested that in the future a four-lane highway could be built from I-25 to connect with a four-lane highway already constructed in western Nebraska and beginning at Morrill. The Mitchell to Minatare four-lane highway project is part of the Nebraska Expressway plan .
Issues with the State Highway Department and City of Gering about relocating a state maintenance building at one of six access intersections with the bypass were quickly resolved, Leafgreen said.
"The state worked with the city, and much credit is due to Craig Lind (District Highway Engineer)," he said.
Leafgreen said a stop sign would control access to Highway 26 on the north end of the project until traffic counts are high enough to have a traffic signal or another way of merging traffic.
"Everything the state does is based on traffic count," Leafgreen said, "and it didn't warrant doing that."
HIGHWAY MILEAGE TO MAJOR CITIES
Airborne Express Bluffco Inc. 2425 Avenue I Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (308) 632-3345 Federal Express 250397 Apron Drive Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (800) 463-3339 United Parcel Service 10 East 12th Street Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (800) 742-5877 United States Postal Service 1050 "P" Street Gering, NE 69341 (308) 436-4733 United States Postal Service 112 West 20th Street Scottsbluff, NE 6931 (308) 635-1121
LRL/Common
Carriers Brown Transfer 609 Fifth Avenue Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (800) 876-1984 (308) 632-8888 Nebraska Transport Co. 1225 Country Club Road Gering, NE 69341 (800) 347-6331 (308) 635-1214 North Park Transportation 1200 West 36th Street Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (308) 635-0502
Ballentine Brokerage 925 Country Club Road Gering, NE 69341 (308) 635-3621 Nebraska Transport Co. 1225 Country Club Road Gering, NE 69341 (800) 347-6331 (308) 635-1214
Truckload
Carriers Ameri-Co Carriers, Inc. 1702 East Overland Drive Scottsbluff, NE 69361 (308) 635-3157
On September 5, 1942, the federal government made an announcement that Scottsbluff would be the site of one of seven satellite Army Air Bases that would be located in Nebraska. Twenty-eight farms were evacuated and sixty buildings were removed before construction could start on the 1,750-acre airfield. The first Scottsbluff Municipal Airport, six miles southeast of town, was forced to close because of government regulations that prohibited city airports within six miles of a federal facility. Contractors moved one million yards of dirt and poured six hundred thousand yards of concrete to build runways that were mostly used for training purposes. After World War II, the air base became the Scottsbluff Municipal Airport on July 3, 1947. Mayor Terry Carpenter, on behalf of the City of Scottsbluff, accepted the government's "quit claim" deed to the airfield for one dollar and other considerations. The original cost was $5,656,301. The airport was served by Western Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier Airlines at different times under the ownership of the City. On July 31, 1970, the airport ownership was transferred to Scotts Bluff County. Most recently, the facility came under an umbrella organization consisting of the City of Scottsbluff, City of Gering, and Scotts Bluff County, and the name was also changed to Western Nebraska Regional Airport Western Nebraska Regional Airport (aka Scotts Bluff County Airport)
Airlines
Runway Identification
Crop dusting & flight instructions are available. A flight service station is located on the field. Eight of the 44 private planes hangered are available for charter. Airport elevation is 3,965; latitude is 41º 52’ 44”N; longitude is 103º 35’ 74”W.
From the September 2, 2004 Star-Herald:
After eight years of work, the dream of a modern airport came to fruition with a groundbreaking ceremony at Western Nebraska Regional Airport... Construction on the $3.7 million terminal is scheduled to begin next week and completion is planned for September 2005. Airport Authority Chairman Don Overman said the current terminal has served its purpose for the last 50 years, but it's now time to look at the future. ...the new terminal will send a message that western Nebraska is progressive and makes use of available resources...the first impression that visitors to the area will see with the construction of the new terminal is enthusiasm and is apt to spur future development... After giving a brief history of how the final decision was made to build a new terminal, Overman said (it) was a day many people should remember. "We feel this is really a historic day in the history of Scottsbluff-Gering, the county and eastern Wyoming. "We will have the most modern and up-to-date terminal in all of rural Nebraska. "We already board more passengers than any other airport in Nebraska other than Omaha and Lincoln...By building this new terminal, we strengthen our position as the dominant regional airport in all of rural Nebraska," said Overman. He said while highways are a vital link for economic development, airports are also vital as they often provide the first impression of a visitor, especially those involved in relocating a business. "It (the airport terminal) is our front door. It shows us as a vibrant and progressive area and one where they should locate their business and jobs in Scottsbluff-Gering. "Eight long years ago we had a dream for this day to come. In the years to come as well as today, many will say that they did a good thing for their community," said Overman. In addition to Overman, Scotts Bluff County Commissioner Chairman Mark Masterton commented on the new terminal as well as Bob Unzicker, vice-chairman of the Airport Authority Board. Masterton said that as times change, communities need to change and with that change comes responsibility. "I think Scotts Bluff County is the center of the Panhandle, center for population, center for business, center for commerce and center for retail...and we have a responsibility to the people in the Panhandle in moving forward," he said. "This new terminal is part of the infrastructure that we need to move Scotts Bluff County and the Panhandle forward...we will have a facility that is second to none," said Masterton. The majority of the project will be funded through $2.4 million in federal funds. Approximately $1.8 million will be issued in bonds and those will be partially paid back through passenger facility fees, which total approximately $50,000 a year. The overall cost of the project, which includes architectural and engineering fees is approximately $4.2 million.
Denver Coach of Scottsbluff provides daily passenger service to/from Denver by reservation from the Panhandle communities of Alliance, Chadron, Gering, Kimball, Mitchell, Morrill, Scottsbluff, and Torrington, Wyoming. Some intermediate stops, as well as service, between these Panhandle communities are also available. For more information, contact them at (800) 658-3125 or (308) 632-8400. AmeriStar
Tours LLC, Chartered Motor Coach Service is a Nebraska
based, fully licensed and insured company providing chartered motor
coach, and travel planning services across the United States and Canada.
Cabco, Inc. serves the Scottsbluff/Gering area, with two radio-equipped cabs.
Scottsbluff & Gering are served by main lines of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific Railroads, from the Wyoming coal fields to North Platte, Nebraska. Interchange is available at Northport, Nebraska, where the lines cross. The Union Pacific, with 1 local freight train and 80 coal trains daily, has 89 inbound (excluding through cars) and 172 outbound cars annually. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe, with 3 freight trains and 24 coal trains daily, has 1,250 inbound cars (excluding through cars) and 680 outbound cars annually. Switching is done as needed by local switch crews and a daily switch engine.
RAILROAD MILEAGE TO MAJOR CITIES
Copyright © 2002-2003 Twin Cities Development Association, Inc. |
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