I-80 Interchange Study

Interchanges in the project study area were experiencing operational and capacity challenges that were expected to worsen with current and future development. A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study was needed to identify the location of a proposed new interchange located along Interstate 80 between Nebraska Highway 31 interchange to the west and Nebraska Highway 370 interchange to the east, all located in Sarpy County, Nebraska.

Benesch led the PEL, studying the need to relieve operational and safety deficiencies at the existing interchanges, the accommodation of truck and vehicular mobility as well as existing and planned economic development.

The Benesch Team incorporated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) into the study, developing a series of six alternatives to proceed into alternatives screening. Two interchanges were ultimately recommended to be carried forward into the NEPA decision-making process and an Interchange Justification report was prepared for the selected alternative.

Products of the PEL study, including the environmental resource analysis, previous studies summary, travel demand model, combined land use vision, and other deliverables have also been approved for use in future NEPA studies because the process followed the Federal Highway Administration’s basic PEL regulation and Nebraska Department of Transportation’s recently approved PEL guidance.

The PEL study was the first to occur in the Omaha Metro area and will be a keystone project for the growth and development of Sarpy County and the region for decades to come.