Emergency Crews Prepare for Increased Traffic on Highway 77 When New Casino Opens

By Gordon HopkinsNebraska’s first casino is scheduled to open Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m., assuming the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission gives its approval.The Lincoln Race Course Thoroughbred track has created a temporary casino which will stand until the planned WarHorse, a $200 million casino and hotel complex, is completed.The casino is owned and operated by Ho-Chunk Inc., which in turn is owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. In an interview in March of this year, Lance Morgan, president and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., said, “Our plan is to have an interim gaming facility within the next several months, but what we’re going to build is going to take a lot of time, and we’re probably 18 to 20 months away from having the full-blown facility open.”In the meantime, the temporary facility will have 433 slot machines.Nebraska is one of 24 states that allow citizens to initiate legislation through the petition process.While supporters of casino gambling have touted a number of benefits to the community, most notably jobs and increased tax revenue, there are apt to be some downsides.One of those is increased traffic.The casino is located in southern Lincoln, just off Highway 77. The potential impact on local traffic was a topic at a meeting of the Wymore City Council on Wednesday evening, September 21, 2022.“Before they built their casino, they did a study,” Wymore Fire Chief Mark Meintz told the council, “And one of the things they brought up to Chief (Brian) Daake in Beatrice and Cortland Fire and then passed it on to us was, Highway 77 is going to become really busy when that casino opens up.”Meintz added, “Especially in the beginning. We need to be prepared for that.”“They assured us that the traffic on 77 will definitely pick up,” said Meintz. “If there is more accidents or whatever, we need to be prepared for that.”Further development to accommodate patrons of the casino is also anticipated. Meintz said, “They talk about building a motel in Cortland, you know, because it's so expensive to build in Lancaster County. So they're talking, looking at different options.”

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