Changes Coming To Highway 136

By Gordon HopkinsThe state is looking to alter the configuration of a portion U.S. Highway 136 that runs through Fairbury.Currently, Highway 136 is a two-lane highway with the exception of a stretch of divided four-lane highway within Fairbury. The plan is to change the Fairbury section to a two-lane, with one turning lane. The proposed project is approximately 1.3 miles and would remove and reconstruct the existing pavement from mile marker (MM) 149.69 (Railroad Viaduct) to MM 151.03 (L Street). Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown explained his reasons for supporting the change, “There are various reasons why this makes sense for a town like Fairbury. Better controlled traffic, less to maintain, room for sidewalks and landscaping.”The project is tentatively scheduled for 2028. According to Mayor Brown, the plan was originally in the state budget for 2025 but has since been pushed back. The mayor told FJN, “We are pushing for it to be moved back to 2025.” Jeni Campana, Public Relations Manager for the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) told FJN, “Some of the benefits of converting a 4-lane to a 3-lane include fewer conflict points throughout a mid-block road segment, accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists, and potentially slower vehicle speeds (FHWA, 2014). Each of the previously listed benefits also increases safety by lowering the potential for crashes.” Campana also said, “In addition to making traveling on the major road safer, a 3-lane also make it easier for traffic coming from side streets to navigate an intersection. Reducing the number of lanes for drivers to monitor and cross reduces the time it takes to travel through the intersection, reduces the number of decisions for drivers to make, and almost entirely eliminates the potential for sideswipe crashes. Passing on the right is also reduced because the outside lane required to make that pass is removed.”

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