BELLEVUE, Neb. — According to new information from the Nebraska Department of Transportation, southbound bridge work on U.S. Highway 75 / Kennedy Freeway through Bellevue is taking longer than initially anticipated, while the closed Capehart Road on-ramp to southbound US-75 is now expected to reopen in mid-October.
The Capehart Road on-ramp had previously been expected to reopen before the Defenders of Freedom Air & Space Show at Offutt Air Force Base last weekend.
NDOT said repairs proved more extensive than originally anticipated. About two weeks before the air show, the department determined the work would not be completed to a point where the work zone could be fully or partially reopened.
NDOT now expects southbound work to continue into late fall, with the Capehart Road on-ramp targeted to reopen sooner, in mid-October.
Northbound work begins while southbound continues
Work is now moving ahead on the northbound side of US-75 while crews continue southbound repairs.
According to NDOT, simultaneous construction on both directions was part of the project’s original plan. That plan was temporarily altered early in construction after crews encountered difficulties shifting traffic because of the condition of the roadway surface at the bridges.
NDOT then concentrated on the southbound side in an effort to complete that work before the air show. When the repairs proved more extensive than anticipated, the department returned to the original plan of advancing work on both sides to keep the overall project moving.
General Excavating, the project’s primary contractor, has brought in a subcontractor to perform the initial removal work on the northbound side.
The subcontractor will use its own workers and equipment, allowing the existing southbound crew to remain focused there during the initial northbound work. The contractor hopes to have the removal work completed by the time additional workers become available.
General Excavating currently has about 15 workers and a manager assigned to the southbound work. NDOT expects another two to three workers to become available following the northbound removal phase.
About three to four weeks into the northbound closure, NDOT anticipates that General Excavating will begin dividing some of its workforce between the two directions.
Later phases of northbound construction will also require different personnel and equipment, including crane and pile-driving work.
One factor that could help the northbound work progress is the condition of the Capehart Road bridge. NDOT said the northbound bridge over Capehart will not require the extensive work encountered on the southbound side. No pavement removal is planned, with only smaller-scale repairs required.
Restrictions in both directions through mid-October
The new phase means one-lane restrictions will be in place on northbound and southbound US-75 at the same time.
NDOT said the northbound work areas will be directly adjacent to the existing southbound restrictions. The department expects simultaneous restrictions to remain in place until approximately mid-October.
That is also the current target for reopening the Capehart Road on-ramp to southbound US-75.
Crews working weekdays and most Saturdays
NDOT said construction crews are working every weekday and most Saturdays.
The typical schedule is approximately 10 hours per day Monday through Friday, with another five to six hours of work on Saturdays.
Crews are moving between all three southbound bridges, rather than working in a single location. The majority of the current effort is concentrated on the largest and southernmost bridge because work there requires the continued closure of the Capehart Road on-ramp.
NDOT has asked General Excavating to expand its work schedule to include Saturdays because of the extended southbound timeline. The contractor separately decided to bring in the subcontractor to begin the northbound removal work.
Southbound completion expected in late fall
The approximately $4.4 million project began in May and includes repairs to six bridges along roughly 2.5 miles of US-75.
The work involves the northbound and southbound bridges over the Papio Creek, Capehart Road and the Mud Creek/Union Pacific Railroad corridor near South 15th Street and Hogantown Drive. The project also includes pavement and culvert work, grading, replacement of approach slabs, and guardrail improvements.
Southbound work is expected to continue into late fall. The Capehart Road on-ramp to southbound US-75 is targeted to reopen in mid-October, when NDOT also expects the period of simultaneous lane restrictions in both directions to end.
The overall US-75 Bridges, Bellevue Phase 2 project remains scheduled to continue through winter 2026.
