LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers are weighing a bill that would widen stretches of U.S. Highway 81 and Nebraska Highway 20 through the state.

The Legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee took up Legislative Bill 1274, a proposal from Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, during a hearing Monday.

The bill requires the Nebraska Department of Transportation to plan, design, and purchase rights of way for portions of the two highways.

Flood, whose district includes Madison County and southern Pierce County, proposed widening the portion of Highway 81 that runs from York to Columbus, as well as the stretch from Norfolk to Yankton, South Dakota.

The proposal would expand Highway 81, which runs north and south through the state, from two lanes to four along those stretches.

The bill, Flood said, has the support of senators along the corridor.

It would also expand Nebraska Highway 20, which runs east and west through the state, between Highway 81 and the Iowa border to a four-lane divided highway.

Expanding Highway 81 is in the best interest of the state, Flood said. It would help relieve a congested stretch for tourists heading to Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area on the Nebraska-South Dakota border, as well as for truckers hauling livestock or grain.

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