Concept for improved Court Street and Highway 136 Reroute (to Market Street) going before the City Council August 7th 7:00pm, at the BPS Administration Building Board Room, 320 N 5th Street.
For more than a decade it has been asked how can we improve the aesthetics and traffic flow of downtown Beatrice, over the years the question has been looked at to various degrees.
Court Street Study:
This year the City commissioned a study of the Court Street corridor to update the design concepts of what Court Street could look like if Highway 136 was moved to Market Street.
Tonight the City Council seeks to pass a resolution accepting this study and commit themselves to continue the work that is still needed to finalize plans and seek funding for the project. Changes to Court Street, if adopted, should happen in conjunction with the proposed highway-reroute concept. If the council decides to move forward we are likely looking at 3 to 10 years before construction work would begin. If the move forward it will require more work on the plan as both studies are conceptual in nature and still require more attention to detail such as impacts on businesses and properties, driveways, final state reviews etc.
In late July the study was presented to the City Council:
You can find it here: Court Street Corridor Master Plan Concept
Two community meetings were held on March 27th and May 22nd. At these forums nearly 100 community members came to learn and share their thoughts. More details on the study process can be found here: https://www.beatrice.ne.gov/community-development/page/court-street-corridor-planning
You can find the 2014 Highway Reroute Concept Plan here: 2014 Hwy 136 Reroute Study Brief
All are welcome to attend tonight’s meeting and share your thoughts.
Over the last two months we have been asking businesses for feedback. If we have not heard from you please contact us. Do you have questions about this project concept? Concerns? Against the project or are you in favor? We would like to hear from you and can share information with you, please call or email Michael, msothan@mainstreetbeatrice.org
Main Street Beatrice’s Position:
Main Street Beatrice is supportive of the concept submitted in this study, recognizing this is not the final design. This project concept would transform the Court Street corridor, bringing a drastically improved aesthetic and people-focused design that is meant to complement the business community, support existing investment, and help attract future investments and residential development opportunities in the downtown area.
As this is still conceptual, we ask are asking that the business community and Main Street Beatrice be involved in future discussions. We have also outlined specific areas we feel still need to have changes or attention on before a final version moves forward.
Read our full statement here: Main Street Beatrice Statement on Court Street Highway Concept
