City of Grand Island Broadwell Avenue Viaduct Project Virtual Open House

If you’d like to watch the Virtual Open House as a video, you can view it below. You may also click through the different pages to explore the content at your own pace.

Downtown Grand Island contains many important transportation modes, including U.S. Highway 30 (US-30) and the Union Pacific railroad (UPRR) line. There are also many city streets that facilitate the movement of people and goods around town.

There are nine UPRR crossings in Downtown Grand Island. Of those crossings, three are grade separated, which means that vehicles and people don’t directly cross over the tracks, but take a bridge or underpass.

A More Efficient Broadwell Avenue Crossing

The Broadwell Avenue Viaduct Project is a joint effort between the City of Grand Island and the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) to improve the Broadwell Avenue crossing of the UPRR tracks.

This project is the result of years of planning and community input to eliminate the potential for vehicle and train collisions, reduce delays and enhance travel along the UPRR crossing at Broadwell Avenue.

Learn More

Review the PEL Study engagement efforts and materials by visiting www.grand-island.com/broadwell.

This project would improve a portion of Broadwell Avenue by replacing the existing at-grade crossing with a viaduct over the UPRR tracks. The project limits would extend from just north of 1st Street to the northernmost intersection at 4th Street.

This project would also close the at-grade railroad crossing of Pine Street. Drivers would continue to have access to the area using nearby streets and the new Broadwell Avenue viaduct, as well as the existing underpasses on Eddy and Sycamore streets. All other at-grade and grade-separated crossings would remain as they are now.

What's a viaduct?

A viaduct is basically a bridge that carries traffic over a series of obstacles like railroad tracks or streets. This viaduct will span 3rd Street, the UPRR tracks, and North Front Street.

Why is this project needed?

This project would improve traffic flow and reduce delays caused by train activity. It would also eliminate potential train-vehicle crashes at Broadwell Avenue and Pine Street.

12,000+ vehicles per day

43 trains per day

21 crashes in the crossing area (2015-2019)

10,900+ vehicle-hours of annual delay

Build a two-lane viaduct over 3rd Street, the UPRR tracks, and North Front Street
Add a ten-foot-wide multi-use path along the west side of Broadwell Avenue to provide a safe crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists
Build a circulatory roadway underneath the viaduct to maintain access for adjacent businesses
Improve the Broadwell Avenue and US-30/2nd Street intersection
Upgrade pavement, lighting, drainage, and other roadway features
Close the at-grade railroad crossing of Pine Street

A viaduct would provide transportation benefits to the City, but it would also present impacts including:

Property Acquisition

The City would need to purchase land including two or three houses to construct the viaduct. The City would also need temporary access to properties next to the roadway during construction.
Landowners would be paid fair market value for any property that the City needs for the project. Impacted property owners will be contacted directly once plans are finalized.

Street and Business Access

4th Street west of Broadwell Avenue would no longer connect to Broadwell Avenue because Broadwell Avenue would be higher than today.
Parking at nearby businesses may be modified.
Access to existing businesses would be maintained.
Pine Street crossing of UPRR will be permanently closed.

Construction Detours

Traffic and pedestrians would be detoured once the Broadwell Avenue crossing is closed for construction.

Noise & Community Resources

A noise study was conducted, and the noise model indicated the highest predicted future noise level for residential properties at 60 decibels. The residential noise threshold of 67 decibels for considering noise mitigation was not approached or exceeded; therefore, noise mitigation is not needed.
A few properties may perceive an increase in traffic noise in the future; however, noise from train horns would be reduced.
There is a residential historic district south of 2nd Street known as the South 1st Street Historic District. No impacts on this district are anticipated.

Construction is expected to begin in 2029. During construction, travelers, nearby property owners, and the public may experience: