The Nebraska Department of Transportation unveiled its Surface Transportation Program for 2026 earlier this month, with plans to provide improvements to roads, bridges and other surfaces to many areas in Southeast Nebraska over the course of the next 12 months.

"Continued support of NDOT’s priorities allows us to continue modernizing our business practices, expedite project timelines and increase safety for the traveling public," director Vicki Kramer said in the program's unveiling. "These efforts allow Nebraska’s transportation system to evolve and continue to deliver value to the traveling public."

NDOT's program outlines the areas ticketed for improvements in each of its eight districts over the now-current fiscal year (July 2025 through June 2026) as well as a five-year planning program addressing future improvement plans. 

The following is a list of all the projects in Southeast Nebraska that NDOT has identified as a priority for the FY26 construction program. To see all of the projects expected in the area over the next few years, check out NDOT's website.

NDOT expects that FY2025 will end with more than $1.2 billion in revenue, generated through state funding and the road operations cash fund. NDOT clarifies that the "project cost estimates contained in the book represent the planning estimates of the total costs of a project. They do not represent the final estimated construction cost of any project which goes to letting for bid by contractors."

Saline County:

A 9.5-mile stretch of Highway 103 covering virtually the entire distance between Crete and Wilber is one of the biggest ticket items in District 1 on tap for 2026. The plan for the area includes milling [defined as "Removing the top layer of a surface to a specified and even depth without disturbing the underlying subbase"] and resurfacing [defined as "Placing an additional layer of surfacing on top of an existing hard-surfaced road to improve ridability and strength of the roadway] as well as bridge work [either construction, replacement or rehabilitation]. The project is expected to cost $10,797,000.

Pawnee County

Similar to the project a little ways to the northwest in Saline County, this Pawnee project covers a 9-mile stretch of Highway 4, running from where it intersects with Highway 99 north of Burchard and through the juncture with Highway 50 near Table Rock and Steinauer. Like in Saline County, there are plans to mill and resurface the road as well as bridge maintenance, a process which is expected to cost $11,245,000 - the only more expensive project in District 1 on the books for this year is in Richardson County.

Gage County

There will be a few projects undertaken in and around the city of Beatrice next year. One arm of the operation will focus on a pair of bridges on Highway 4 leading towards Plymouth (approximately $5,500,000); another will focus on milling and resurfacing Highway 136 (Court Street), a 1.5-mile stretch of road that runs right through the center of Beatrice from 1st Street to 21st Street (approx. $3,000,000); and the final focus in Gage County will be on a longer stretch of Highway 136 southwest of the city - nearly nine miles of the main western entry to town, through Ellis and almost to the Jefferson County border. That's a $6,600,000 project that also includes work on culverts. In total, more than $15,000,000 will be spent on Gage County alone next year. 

Thayer County

The western part of Southeast Nebraska falls under District 4 of NDOT's purview, and the northern end of Thayer County will be the home of one of a few long road renovation projects in the district this year. NDOT is planning to work on the 13-mile stretch of Highway 4 that runs west from the Highway 81 intersection all the way to Davenport, including milling, resurfacing, and bridge work. The project has an anticipated price tag of $8,935,000.

York County

A similar project is in the pipeline a little ways north on Highway 81 and up into York County, where the focus will be on the 8-mile stretch of the main highway that connects McCool Junction and York. Similar to the others, the plan calls for milling, resurfacing and bridge work, with an estimated cost of $10,318,000.

Fillmore County

Fillmore County won't see any road work done in the next year, but there will still be one addition to the streets as part of a district-wide plan to increase the presence of security (CCTV) cameras. At a cost of just under $2,000,000, about a dozen camera towers will be erected throughout the district, which stretches as far northwest as Greeley and Valley Counties. The camera tower in Fillmore County will be placed near the intersection of US Highway 81 and State Highway 74, just outside of Strang.