Revitalizing a Downtown With NDOT’s In Valentine Project

The Nebraska Department of Transportation understands the importance of building roads that communities need and want and is committed to helping revitalize downtowns and support economic expansion throughout Nebraska. The In Valentine project allowed NDOT to be proactive and work with the community to incorporate their ideas and vision. The purpose of the project is to preserve the US-83 transportation asset, improve the reliability of the transportation system and perpetuate the mobility of the traveling public.

When the City of Valentine heard about the proposed project, the community reached out to NDOT with a desire to work together to make their Main Street more tourist-friendly while maintaining the rustic charm of the town. NDOT held several planning meetings with the Valentine community and involved them as much as possible through the early stages of project planning. There was an active group of participants compiled of local officials, business owners and citizens that all worked together with NDOT throughout this process. Ultimately accelerated project delivery was accomplished and the community was a huge part of this success.

Public Involvement Manager Sarah Soula touted the project saying, “Success is driven at the local level and the In Valentine project is the perfect example of that. It was a success because the community came to the table early with realistic expectations. The collaboration between the community and NDOT was open and ongoing to align the needs of the Department and accommodate the city’s vision. The project cut down on delivery time and NDOT was able to design a project that the community can see themselves in because of the early and ongoing communication with project stakeholders which was critical to the project success. NDOT plans to model this form of outreach going forward.”

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2021.

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