Lincoln City Council Approves Major Infrastructure Projects

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Lincoln City Council unanimously advanced several major infrastructure initiatives Monday, including final design approval for a $114 million viaduct project at 33rd and Cornhusker Highway that has been in development for nearly a decade.

The council approved a professional services agreement with Olsson for final design services on the 33rd and Cornhusker Viaduct, which has received $66.7 million in federal funding. The project aims to eliminate two at-grade railroad crossings at North 33rd Street and Adams Street by constructing a viaduct over the BNSF rail corridor.

The project will improve safety outcomes by eliminating two at-grade crossings that have resulted in 20 accidents with six fatalities in recent years, and will reduce vehicular congestion and emissions due to up to 3.6 hours of idling due to trains at the two intersections daily. The area sees between 46 and 65 train crossings a day and more than 20,000 vehicles along 33rd and Adams streets.

The council also approved construction engineering services for the 56th Street rehabilitation project from Spruce to Van Dorn with Speece Lewis Engineers and renewed a contract with Executive Answering Services for telephone answering services.

In planning matters, the council scheduled hearings for three liquor license applications and approved several land use modifications. Most significantly, the council advanced resolutions related to the Woodlands at Yankee Hill development, which would include more than 600,000 square feet of retail and office space and requires zoning changes and city annexation.

Lincoln has also moved to update zoning laws to allow large-scale battery energy storage system projects, with Lincoln Electric System already progressing the city's first BESS, a 3MW/12MWh system made up of Eos Energy's Zinc Z3 battery units announced back in 2023. The council approved an appeal of a special permit that would allow a Battery Energy Storage System to evaluate potential transportation improvements in the north portion of Lincoln along the rail corridor between N. 27th and N. 48th streets.

The council voted 6-1 to approve the appeal by Melissa Pishna of Planning Commission approval for the BESS project on property near N. 120th Street and Highway 6.

All council members were present for the meeting, which was held in place of the regularly scheduled February 16 session due to President's Day.