July 30, 2019 (Lincoln, Neb.) — Monday, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) joined
Governor Pete Ricketts and other state and local officials in celebrating, with the local community, the
opening of Highway 281 over the Niobrara River south of Spencer. The highway has been closed since
March 13 due to flooding that caused significant damage and washed out a segment of the highway just
south of the bridge.
“The importance of getting the Highway 281 bridge opened back up and reconnecting the communities
and people who have felt the effects of its closure can’t be overstated,” said Governor Ricketts. When
bridges and highways are closed, it impacts people’s daily lives and routines tremendously – from getting
to work, the store, or a doctor’s appointment or simply just driving up the road to visit family and friends –
that’s why it was so important to get this bridge in place and get traffic moving again. I want to thank the
community, NDOT, and all our private sector partners for their efforts and dedication on getting the
temporary bridge constructed in an expedited time-period.“
Governor Ricketts was joined by State Senator Timothy Gragert; NDOT District 8 Engineer Mark Kovar;
Chief Operating Officer Chris Hawkins from Hawkins Construction; Tom Pinder from Acrow Bridge; and
John Prouty, from Prouty Construction, in celebrating the opening of Highway 281.
“This really was about partnership, patience, and persistence, and we are thankful we had all of that from
the community and our industry partners. It was not easy to get to this day, but we are so pleased to
have the road open and have traffic going over the river,” said Mark Kovar, NDOT District 8 Engineer.
The NDOT partnered with contractors and subcontractors to open the temporary bridge and restore
mobility within months of the historic 2019 flooding. Olsson, of Lincoln, Nebraska, worked alongside the
NDOT on the design work of the project and on May 22, Hawkins Construction of Omaha was awarded
the $25,470,887 contract, which covers the temporary bridge and roadway as well as a permanent
1,050‑foot bridge over the Niobrara River Channel.
Hawkins mobilized within hours and with the help of Acrow Corporation of America, of Parsippany, New
Jersey, supplier of the temporary bridge; subcontractors Kirkham Michael, of Omaha, Nebraska,
construction engineering; and Prouty Construction, of O’Neill, Nebraska, grading contractor, were able to
open several days ahead of the projected August 1 contract date.
The temporary bridge will be open to one-lane traffic controlled by a traffic signal, with a 12-foot-wide
width restriction. Motorists with legal loads are permitted to cross the bridge, but no overweight or over
dimensional vehicles will be allowed. The traffic restriction will be in place until the permanent bridge is
completed, currently scheduled for November 2020.
Completion of the entire project is anticipated to be spring of 2021. Motorists are reminded to use
caution when driving through the construction zone and to wear seatbelts.
