09/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/12/2024 10:54
Published on September 12, 2024
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliott today celebrated the completion of the 50th Lincoln on the Move project: improvements to 14th Street between Yankee Hill and Pine Lake roads.
"Since its inception in 2019, Lincoln on the Move has added nearly $78 million dollars to our city's overall street investments, resulting in over 162 lane miles of new and resurfaced streets," Mayor Gaylor Baird said. "Our Lincoln on the Move initiative is making it easier, safer, and smoother for residents to drive to work, for children to get to school, and for customers to support our local businesses."
Improvements to 14th Street between Yankee Hill and Pine Lake roads include concrete median, shoulder, and curb repair or replacement, joint and crack sealing, public utility adjustments, pavement markings and inlet top replacements. Additional work with other funding sources includes upgrades to the existing curb ramps to comply with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Joining Mayor Gaylor Baird at the news conference were Lacey Miller, Firespring Chief Client Solutions Officer; Rick Krueger, Krueger Development Owner; and Tom Beckius, At-Large Representative on the Lincoln City Council.
Improvements on 14th Street between Yankee Hill and Pine Lake roads cover one mile and cost nearly $1.6 million. Elliott said the project is one of eight Lincoln on the Move projects undertaken in 2024, totaling nearly $18 million in investments and nearly 27 miles of street work spread out across all four quadrants of the city.
Elliott said LTU began the four-month-long project during the summer, which helped significantly decrease construction time and minimize impacts on travelers to Southwest High School. A mailing and open house helped prepare the neighborhood for the project and kept residents and businesses informed of project progress, she said.
Miller said Lincoln on the Move projects provide safe and reliable infrastructure that businesses like Firespring depend on to grow and serve the community.
"Thanks to the Lincoln on the Move initiative, South 14th Street is smoother and safer today," Miller said. "Street improvements like this one help ensure the safety and productivity of our team members and enhance the experience for clients who visit us for solutions to help their businesses and nonprofits prosper."
Krueger said he appreciates the street growth and improvements created by the Lincoln on the Move quarter-cent sales tax because it supports the continued development of southwest Lincoln.
"Commercial interests and neighborhood interests are all very well served by having proper roads like this," Krueger said.
Beckius said the voter-approved Lincoln on the Move initiative helps ensure that Lincoln streets are growing and improving at the same rate as the community.
"The completed work on 14th Street shows how these investments expand mobility, safety and access for all our residents, while also creating the infrastructure support to help businesses thrive and grow our local economy," Beckius said.