• 1988– Construction of a statewide Expressway System in Nebraska mandated under LB 632 and LB 1041 to connect urban centers to the Interstate. Heartland Expressway from Kimball to Scottsbluff is included in this plan.
  • 1991– Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) passed into law, identifying the Heartland Expressway as a Federally Designated ‘High Priority Corridor’.
  • 1994 – Nebraska Highway 71 – Kimball, NE to Scottsbluff, NE – Phase I – Harrisburg Spur North – Four-Lane, Grading, Structures, Paving – $5,428,000.
  • 1995 – Nebraska Highway 71 ‐ Kimball, NE to Scottsbluff, NE ‐ Phase II ‐ Harrisburg Spur South ‐ Four‐Lane, Grading, Structures, Paving ‐ $7,924,000.
  • 1997 – Nebraska Highway 71 ‐ Kimball, NE to Scottsbluff, NE ‐ Phase III ‐ Kimball North ‐ Four‐Lane, Grading, Structures, Paving ‐ $8,221,000.
  • 1999 – Nebraska Highway 71 – Kimball, NE to Scottsbluff, NE – Phase IV – Gering South – Four-Lane, Grading, Structures, Paving – $15,884,000
  • 2004-2005 – Reliever route at Scottsbluff/Gering connecting Nebraska Highway 71 and U.S. Highway 26 – $33,964,000.
  • 2005– Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) becomes law. South Dakota delegation secures $70 million to finish construction of the Heartland Expressway from Rapid City to the Nebraska-South Dakota state line.
  • 2011– Build Nebraska Act (LB 84) is passed, providing funding for state highway capital improvement projects. 25% of funds are to be dedicated for expressway construction. Portion of the Heartland Expressway on US 385 included in Tier I projects.
  • 2011 – Kimball Reliever Route – 5 miles – $28,467,000.
  • 2011 – U.S. Highway 26 — New Overpass Spanning Highway and BNSF Railroad at Highway 26 and Highway 71 — 1.2 miles – $9,466,000.
  • 2012– Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) signed into law, providing two years of funding for surface transportation. There were no funding allocations to specific High Priority Corridor projects.
  • 2013– Wyoming approves a 10 cent fuel tax increase expected to generate $71.8 million more annually for state and local roads.
  • 2015– South Dakota lawmakers approve 6 cent fuel tax increase expected to generate an additional $40.5 million per year.
  • 2015– Nebraska lawmakers approve 6 cent fuel tax increase expected to generate an additional $75 million per year for state and local roads.
  • 2015– Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) becomes law, providing 5-years of federal funding to surface transportation and the Highway Trust Fund.
  • 2016– Nebraska passes the Transportation Innovation Act in law, allocating a total $450 million to Nebraska projects.
  • 2016 – U.S. 385 — Four Lane Expansion — Alliance South Phase I — 12 miles – $35,674,000.
  • 2018– MOU signed between the Federal Highway Administration and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to house some NEPA responsibilities within the NDOT, allowing for increased efficiency in the build process.
  • 2021 – The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), aka Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021. The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending with $550 billion of that figure going toward “new” investments and programs.
  • 2022 – U.S. 385 — Four Lane Expansion – L62A North – 14.2 miles – $32,000,000.