As Sarpy County continues its streak as the fastest-growing county in Nebraska, the infrastructure beneath its wheels is undergoing a massive transformation. At the heart of this evolution is the South Sarpy Expressway, a multi-year project designed to reshape east-west travel and unlock the economic potential of the county’s southern corridor.
What is the South Sarpy Expressway?
Formerly known as the Platteview Road Expressway, the project was rebranded to more accurately reflect its scope. It isn’t just a road widening; it is the creation of a four-lane, access-controlled expressway that will eventually provide a high-speed link between U.S. Highway 75 in the east and Interstate 80 in the west.+1
One of the unique aspects of the plan is its “off-alignment” design. Instead of simply replacing the existing Platteview Road, the new expressway lanes will be built adjacent to it. This allows the current Platteview Road to remain in place as a frontage road, preserving local access for homeowners and farmers while the expressway handles heavy regional traffic.+1
Project Timeline and Key Phases
The project is being tackled in segments to manage the significant engineering and financial requirements.
| Segment | Status / Goal |
| 10th St. to 42nd St. | Current Focus: Final design is complete, with construction anticipated to begin in 2026. |
| U.S. 75 to 108th St. | Under preliminary design; includes major interchanges at 27th, 36th, 57th, 72nd, and 84th Streets. |
| I-80 Connection | Long-term vision to link the corridor to the Gretna area and a proposed new I-80 interchange. |
Why It Matters: Growth and Safety
The surge in population in Papillion, Bellevue, and Gretna has pushed existing two-lane rural roads to their breaking point. County officials have cited several primary drivers for the expressway:
- Congestion Relief: Providing an alternative to Highway 370, which currently carries the bulk of east-west traffic.
- Economic Development: Improving access for industrial and commercial projects, particularly near the data center corridors in southern Sarpy.
- Safety Infrastructure: Transitioning from gravel and narrow paved roads to a divided highway with modern interchanges significantly reduces high-speed collision risks.
- Sewer & Utility Synergy: The road project is being coordinated with the Sarpy County and Cities Wastewater Agency to install critical sewer infrastructure simultaneously, saving taxpayer money on future excavations.
Funding and Investment
The scale of the project is reflected in its price tag. Recent county budget reports for 2026 highlight an allocation of approximately $113 million specifically for the South Sarpy Expressway. Funding is a “team effort,” utilizing a mix of:
- County Highway Allocations
- Federal MAPA Grants
- Private Development Contributions (Developers often pay a share as their new neighborhoods or warehouses benefit from the improved access).
While the South Sarpy Expressway is often framed as a solution to growth, “bypass” projects of this scale inevitably come with significant trade-offs. For the Omaha-Sarpy metro area, the downsides generally fall into four categories: urban sprawl, economic shifts, environmental impact, and construction headaches.
1. Acceleration of Urban Sprawl
The most common criticism of a new expressway is that it creates a “build it and they will come” cycle.
- Infrastructure “Creep”: By providing high-speed access to previously rural land, the expressway encourages developers to build low-density housing further away from the city core.
- Increased Auto-Dependency: This pattern forces residents to rely almost exclusively on cars, increasing the total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the region and eventually leading to new congestion on the very road designed to solve it.
2. Economic “Bypass” Effect
When a high-speed expressway diverts traffic away from existing corridors like Highway 370 or local city streets in Springfield and Papillion, it can change the local economic landscape.
- Loss of Local Business Visibility: Smaller “mom-and-pop” shops on older routes may see a drop in pass-through customers.
- The “Anywhere, USA” Aesthetic: New developments along expressways tend to favor large-scale retail power centers and national chains, which can dilute the unique character of Sarpy County’s smaller communities.
3. Environmental and Quiet-Zone Degradation
Converting a rural two-lane road into a four-lane divided expressway fundamentally alters the local ecosystem.
- Noise Pollution: The transition from agricultural sounds to constant high-speed tire and engine noise is a major concern for existing homeowners, particularly in areas like the Platteview Golf Club and nearby established neighborhoods.
- Habitat Fragmentation: Larger roads act as barriers for local wildlife and can increase the risk of vehicle-animal collisions.
- Runoff Issues: Massive increases in “impervious surfaces” (concrete and asphalt) mean more oil, salt, and chemicals wash into local watersheds during rainstorms.
4. The “Induced Demand” Paradox
Transportation planners often warn of induced demand: when you make driving easier and faster, more people choose to drive, and more people move to the area.
- Obsolescence: Critics point to Highway 370 as a cautionary tale; it was intended to be a fast corridor but is now heavily congested with stoplights and turning traffic. There is a fear that the South Sarpy Expressway will eventually suffer the same fate as the metro area continues to expand southward.
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