NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Tuesday, March 31, 2026; 5:00 – 7:00 PM Decatur City Hall 913 S Broadway Street, Decatur, NE 68020 The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) will give a formal presentation starting at 5:30 PM, with an open house to follow until 7 PM. Decatur Bridge NDOT Project No. STP-51-7(109); CN 32395 Iowa DOT Project No. STP-175-1(106)--2C-67 NDOT and Iowa DOT will hold a public hearing regarding the preliminary design and Environmental Assessment for the Decatur Bridge project, which would improve the Nebraska Highway 51 (N-51) / Iowa Highway 175 (IA-175) Missouri River crossing in Burt County, Nebraska and Monona County, Iowa. The public hearing will be held at Decatur City Hall, 913 S Broadway Street in Decatur, Nebraska, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, from 5:00-7:00 PM CDT. A formal presentation will begin at 5:30 PM, with an open house to follow. An Environmental Assessment has been prepared for this project and is available for public review at the following locations: - Decatur City Hall (913 S Broadway Street, Decatur, NE 68020) - Onawa City Hall (914 Diamond Street, Onawa, IA 51040) - NDOT District 3 Headquarters (408 N 13th Street, Norfolk, NE 68701) - Iowa DOT District 3 Headquarters (6409 Gordon Drive, Sioux City, IA 51106) - NDOT Headquarters (1500 Nebraska Parkway, Lincoln, NE 68502) - Iowa DOT Headquarters (800 Lincoln Way, Ames IA 50010) - FHWA Nebraska Division (100 Centennial Mall N, Suite 220, Lincoln, NE 68508) - FHWA Iowa Division (105 6th Street, Ames, IA 50010) An electronic version of the Environmental Assessment is available for review on the project website at ndot.info/32395. Identified as Decatur Bridge, the proposed project would begin just east of Broadway Street in Decatur, Nebraska and end approximately one mile east of the state line on IA-175. The Preferred Alternative described in the Environmental Assessment would construct a new bridge over the Missouri River approximately 80 feet north of the existing bridge. The new bridge would be constructed north of the existing Decatur Bridge. The existing bridge would remain open to highway traffic during construction, dependent on future bridge inspections. Short-term, temporary road closures and detours may be required. Access to community resources, area schools, police and fire services would not be affected. Within Decatur, the existing sidewalk would be temporarily closed. The design team is exploring options to maintain pedestrian access during construction. The purpose of the project is to provide a resilient river crossing connecting Decatur, Nebraska/N-51 and Onawa, Iowa/IA-175 that maintains access to regional commerce, employment, education, health care, and recreation facilities; maintains accessibility to and by emergency services; and provides infrastructure to support current and future travel demand. The project is needed because: 1) Area residents must cross the river to access commerce, health care, education, employment, and recreation facilities; 2) The existing bridge has structural and functional deficiencies that require frequent and costly repairs; and 3) The existing crossing is subject to scour and flooding that close the crossing to traffic. The proposed project would require the acquisition of additional property rights which could include new right-of-way, control of access, permanent easements and/or temporary easements. If your property is impacted by this project, you would be contacted by a representative from your state once the design footprint has been established. Access to adjacent properties would be maintained during construction but may be limited at times due to traffic phasing requirements. The Decatur Bridge was previously determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Upper Decatur Bend Wildlife Management Area on the Iowa side of the river and Beck Memorial Park and Campground in Decatur are in the vicinity of the project. Impacts are being considered, and comments related to the historic bridge and publicly owned recreation properties (Section 4(f)) will be taken at this hearing. No impacts to Beck Memorial Park and Campground are anticipated. Impacts to wetlands and streams are anticipated and would be mitigated as necessary. Proposed project costs are estimated at $92 million and would come from federal and state funding sources. The start of construction would be dependent on available funding, but could begin as early as 2029. The public hearing is being held in compliance with the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to provide information regarding the project and to receive the public’s input. All interested persons are invited to attend, provide comments, and ask questions. Project information will be displayed, and personnel from NDOT and Iowa DOT will be present to answer questions and receive comments. Comments can be provided verbally at the hearing, submitted in writing as a statement, or by filling out a comment form available at the hearing. Comments on the Environmental Assessment can also be submitted by emailing, calling, or mailing to the contact listed below by the end of the comment period – April 17, 2026. Design plans and the Environmental Assessment document will be further developed after public input is received and considered following the public hearing and comment period. NDOT will make every reasonable accommodation to provide accessible meeting facilities for all persons. Appropriate provisions for the hearing and visually challenged or persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) will be made if NDOT is notified by March 23, 2026. Information regarding the proposed project will be made available online at ndot.info/32395. For those without internet access, information may be obtained in Nebraska at the NDOT District 3 office: 408 North 13 th Street, Norfolk, NE 68701 or by contacting: Kevin Domogalla, P.E. NDOT District 3 Engineer at (402) 370-3470, kevin.domogalla @nebraska.gov; or in Iowa at the District 3 Headquarters: 6409 Gordon Drive, Sioux City, IA 51106 or by contacting: Jessica L. Felix, P.E. Iowa District 3 Enginee at (712) 274-5833, jessica.felix @iowadot.us. Comments will be collected through April 17, 2026, and should be submitted to: AJ Raaska NDOT Public Involvement PO Box 94759 Lincoln, NE 68509-4759 aj.raaska@nebraska.gov (402) 479-4303 ZNEZ BCI 03/12/26
