Governor's Column

Get to Know the Nebraska Department of Roads By Governor Dave Heineman February 19, 2010 This week, I’d like to share information with you about the Nebraska Department of Roads and what the department does for you and our state. The Department of Roads provides a valuable service to citizens and thousands of travelers each day in Nebraska. Headed by Roads Director and State Engineer, Monty Fredrickson, the department has district offices in Lincoln, Omaha, Norfolk, Grand Island, Gering, North Platte, McCook, and Ainsworth consisting of 1,400 employees. The department is responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, and administration of the state highway system, as well as preserving the billions of dollars invested in highways and working to make them safe and reliable. The state began recording statistics on road surfaces in 1949 when 5,213 miles of the nearly 10,000 miles of state highway were unpaved. Today, only 42 the 9,949 miles of the state highway system are gravel roads. State highways carry more than 62 percent of the miles traveled by vehicles in the state and 84 percent of all heavy trucks. At any one time more than 100 projects extending or improving state roadways are underway across Nebraska. In addition to overseeing current projects, the department includes roadway and bridge designers, traffic engineers, developers working with local, county and federal officials to shepherd new projects through the regulatory and permitting process, right-of-way specialists, construction personnel, and researchers testing new materials. The department also issues motor carrier permits and oversees railway crossings. The operations team works 24/7 to keep highways available to motorists by clearing them in the midst of blizzards and other severe weather, and rerouting traffic in emergencies. This includes the administrative and support personnel that manage the agency and the fleet of vehicles, machinery and property that are part of the Department of Roads. Like all of state government, the Department of Roads is continually looking for new ways to utilize technology to improve efficiency. The department works closely with researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and others to explore new technology and materials that can help extend the life of our state highway system. One example is the advances in technology that have led to the use of better materials and equipment in maintaining roads and bridges. Roads officials are also using technology in the forms of GPS and digital tools to help make highways safer for motorists. Operations personnel work with law enforcement and other first responders to control traffic around major crashes and emergencies. From the department’s operations center in Omaha, roads operators can update 47 message boards spread along I-80 to help travelers plan their journey. Another service available to travelers is the 511 hotline and website, which provides real-time road and weather conditions using more than 60 cameras and other tools to monitor highway conditions and communicate road closings. The 511 site is a powerful tool that proved very useful in the midst of several December blizzards and severe storms, logging more than 700,000 visits that month and more than 1.3 million visits in 2009. All of these efforts were developed to improve the safety of state roads, and the work of our roads personnel has not gone unnoticed. Nebraska was recognized by the association of state highway officials for harnessing technology to strengthen road safety efforts. To access roads related services and information, including 511, please log on to the department’s website at http://www.dor.state.ne.us/. The work of the individuals at the Department of Roads is providing a more safe and efficient statewide transportation system that benefits all Nebraskans.