Commissioners approve $645,911 amendment to design services for 168th Street corridor

Sarpy County commissioners approved Amendment No. 4 to a professional services agreement with Sheammer Associates, Inc. on June 30, adding $645,911 for engineering and categorical-exclusion (CE)/NEPA services on the 168th Street corridor (Highway 370 to Harrison Street).

County engineer Zack Henrader and consultant Shane Swope said the project has been under study since 2022, and that MAPA (the regional planning organization) authorized $26.8 million toward the corridor. Swope said coordination with the City of Omaha produced an additional $9.7 million for Harrison Street work. He described the amendment as a roughly 15-month schedule to complete an approved CE document, which would reopen federal funding and moving the corridor toward construction packaging.

Swope said the team is targeting an approved CE document by next summer, which would allow further work on the BNSF bridge and later construction phases; he noted a likely construction window for major bridge work in 2028–29 and discussed phasing options to maintain neighborhood access if long closures are needed. Commissioners stressed phasing and coordination with Omaha to reduce long-term closures and inconvenience to Cedar Ridge, Miller Park and other neighborhoods.

The board moved and approved the amendment. The contract change aims to finalize environmental documentation and position the county to request additional MAPA or federal match funding after CE approval.