Gage County wins $22.7 million federal grant to rebuild bridges, repave roads

Emily, a county staff member, told the Gage County Board of Supervisors that the county was awarded $22,700,000 in federal funding with a $1,000,000 local match to complete the Clayton and Hickory Road transportation and safety project.

“...we are going to be bringing in $22,700,000 with a $1,000,000 match,” Emily said, thanking the federal delegation and the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s infrastructure hub for assistance in strengthening the county’s application.

Board members said the funding will allow replacement of multiple aging bridges and repaving of roughly eight miles of road, work that one supervisor contrasted with the roughly $3,000,000 cost of replacing a single bridge in previous planning estimates. Chair described the award as “enormous” and said it will remove a substantial cost from the backs of Gage County property taxpayers.

County staff noted that the Hickory portion of the project had previously received funding through a separate CDS grant, and that combining awards improved the county’s leverage in federal competitive funding. Emily said public outreach meetings helped strengthen the grant application by incorporating resident feedback.

The board praised staff coordination and directed staff to continue project planning and coordination with state and federal partners. No formal vote was required for the announcement; subsequent agenda items addressed related bridge-match projects already under construction.

Next steps: county staff will proceed with detailed project planning and coordinate schedules with contractors and state partners; timing for construction phases was not specified at the meeting.