Opinions Sought on Site for New Bellevue Bridge

A series of public meetings has been scheduled to gather opinions from residents regarding two proposed routes for a new four-lane bridge over the Missouri River connecting Mills County, Iowa and southern Bellevue in Sarpy County. The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion along existing river crossings.

According to John Selmer, District 4 engineer at the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), officials hope to finalize the preferred route within approximately one year from now. 'We want to make sure we're making a good decision for the future,' he said during an interview earlier this week.

Two public meetings have been scheduled:

- The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., at the Days Inn in Bellevue, located at 1811 Hillcrest Drive.

- The second meeting is planned for Wednesday from 4:30 p m to 6:30 pm at the Glenwood Resource Center in Building 110.

During these meetings, attendees will have an opportunity to voice their opinions on two different options being considered. Option one involves constructing a new bridge south of Offutt Air Force Base that would connect with Fairview Road. This route is preferred by transportation officials due to its potential for minimal environmental impact and ease of access via Interstate 29 in Iowa.

The second option under consideration involves building the crossing near La Platte, where it will merge onto a road running parallel to Highway 75 in Nebraska before connecting back up with Interstate 29 further north. This route comes off Iowa Highway 34 at an exit leading into Glenwood.

'We're looking for public input on both alternatives,' said Selmer, emphasizing that the final decision would be based largely upon resident feedback and concerns about potential environmental impacts associated with each proposal.

Construction of this new bridge is expected to begin sometime between late 2008 or early 2009. However, officials caution against setting an overly optimistic timeline for completion due to various factors such as inclement weather conditions during construction seasonality affecting labor availability etcetera...

In addition to alleviating traffic congestion caused by the growing number of vehicles crossing existing river crossings each day, this new infrastructure project aims to boost economic growth within both states while also enhancing overall safety levels along these busy thoroughfares.

The public is urged to attend one or both meetings and share their thoughts on what they believe would be best for our region's future.

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