This past Saturday, President Joe Biden signed a $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the House and Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of numerous federal agencies.
As part of this first half of 2024 appropriations, Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District will receive over $48 million. This money will go to fund 12 projects across the district. Four projects in Lincoln are set to split $36.4 million. All of these appropriations – with two exceptions – originated from Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by 1st District Rep. Mike Flood to the House Appropriations Committee last year.
“These projects are big wins for communities across the First Congressional District,” said Rep. Flood. “All but one of our original requests received funding, which is an incredible result. We were able to accomplish all this in the appropriations process while controlling spending. Congratulations to each of the stakeholders who helped bring these projects to the table, and I look forward to seeing each of them come to fruition.”
The four Lincoln projects and their enacted amounts is as follows:
- UNL ARS Facility – $25,000,000
To be located on UNL’s Innovation Campus on 2021 Transformation Drive, a USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) — National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture. The National Center would house over 150 employees of four ARS research units and bring together scientists from nationally renowned land-grant universities with USDA ARS scientists across the nation to ensure the United States remains the leader in feeding and fueling a growing world.
- Fletcher Avenue Grading and Resurfacing – $4,400,000
This project will grades and resurfaces 4.5 miles of road with heavy truck traffic in Lancaster County. Fletcher Avenue—currently surfaced with gravel—is the first road to the south of Waverly that directly links N 84th with N 148th. The project will grade the vertical profile to meet the minimum requirements for the new character of road, widen the road to provide a more forgiving section for motorists, and provide a smoother surface for vehicles.
- Downtown Corridors Project – $4,000,000
This project will include the design and construction of street, sidewalk and related improvements along 9th and 10th Streets from K Street to I-180 bridge and O Street from 9th to Centennial Mall in downtown Lincoln. This project is a city-led streetscape enhancement effort meant to improve the safety, accessibility and vibrancy of the downtown area for residents, employees, visitors and property owners.
- Randolph Street Rehabilitation – $3,000,000
The average daily traffic on Randolph Street is 6,410 vehicles per day and is expected to increase to 7,300 vehicles per day by 2045. This volume of traffic can only be made possible by a rehabilitated Randolph Street. The Randolph Street corridor is a key corridor for central Lincoln commuters, connecting Lincoln High School and Randolph Elementary School, as well as serving two parks and a private elementary school. This project will improve the transportation network and providing safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure.
Rep. Flood said Monday on the Dan Parsons Show, he was pleased with the success of his funding requests for Nebraska’s 1st district.
“Either I go to Congress and work to get this money, or some bureaucrat decides its not going to Nebraska, and sends this infrastructure money other places. So I’m pleased that its coming back to the Capitol City,” said Flood.
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- UNL ARS Facility
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- Fletcher Avenue Grading and Resurfacing
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- Downtown Corridors Project (Office of Rep. Mike Flood)
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- Randolph Street Rehabilitation
Other 1st District projects and their enacted amounts:
- Offutt Ditch Pump Station – (Bellevue) $200,000
- Bellevue Public Library Renovation and Expansion – (Bellevue) $1,729,655
- 420th Road Improvements – (Seward) $3,000,000
- Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements – (Seward) $1,000,000
- Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrades – (Hickman) $1,000,000
- Water Treatment Plant Improvements – (Milford) $1,000,000
- 23rd Street Reconstruction – (Platte County) $3,025,000
- Northeast Nebraska Innovation Studio & Fabrication Lab – (Madison County) $750,000
The UNL ARS Facility and Offutt Ditch Pump Station requests was made both by Congressman Flood in the House and by Senator Deb Fischer in the Senate.
Preliminary Applications for Community Project Funding (CPF) requests have opened up for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations process through Rep. Flood’s office. For more information, visit flood.house.gov.