The road between Kimball and Gering typically carries about 2,000 vehicles a day. It was a state-funded project. U.S. Highway 26 is expected to begin in 2003. Fredrickson said a similar link around Kimball at the southern end probably won't happen for 10 or 12 years. South Dakota is building a four-lane route south from Rapid City toward Nebraska.
People travel roads that are in good shape.
Lierk said development of the expressway is a regional economic initiative. She said the next chance to receive federal funds to build more four-lane roads will be in the 2003 transportation bill. There are more than 200 workers who drive from Scottsbluff to Alliance every day to work at Burlington Northern-Santa Fe. These are the kinds of investments, whether it's telecommunications or transportation, that need to be made in the region if we are going to improve economic conditions out here. This is already evident with the U.S. 16 Truck Bypass around Rapid City and the new four-lane section of South Dakota 79 that was built in the 1990s.