The city’s share of the first $4.4 million phase is $1 million, which is funded by state gasoline tax revenue. From Victory Road, the new highway will follow the south side of the Louis Dreyfus ethanol plant then jog north and head east cross-country to link up with Highway 35.

Nucor Steel is contributing $1 million to pay for a connector road from the steel plant entrance south to the new highway, Smith said.

Planned for the 2011-12 fiscal year is the section of the project between First Street and Highway 81, including a bridge over the North Fork River. The last section — between First Street to past Victory Road — is in the 2012-13 roads program.

Which of the last two phases will be built first could change, Smith said.

Viaducts will be built over Victory Road and over railroad tracks in that area in the latter phases to accommodate traffic.

Smith said funding for the new highway will be $1 million from Stanton County, $2 million from the Madison County Railroad Transportation Safety District, $3 million from Norfolk and the balance from Madison County.

The city’s 2010-11 plan also includes:

— $1.6 million in federal highway funds and $403,300 in state gasoline tax revenue toward reconstructing 25th Street and adding a turning lane from Benjamin Avenue to the Highway 275 Bypass. The project’s cost, estimated at $5.1 million, will be financed by 80 percent federal highway funds and the rest from the city’s share of gasoline tax revenue. Smith said it’s hoped that construction could occur in 2011

— $362,798 in gasoline tax revenue toward the eventual widening of Highway 35 from two lanes to four lanes between Norfolk Avenue and Omaha Avenue. Congress has authorized $3.5 million in federal earmarks for the work, but when the funds will be released by the Federal Highway Administration isn’t known because of a dispute with the agency.

— $650,000 for miscellaneous street maintenance work by contract and $30,000 for miscellaneous paving districts. Smith said Norfolk’s share of gasoline-tax revenue will be down about $100,000, so a corresponding cut was made in miscellaneous street work. The city may want to look at establishing a wheel tax as a revenue source, he said.

Work also continues on a pavement management plan for city streets but has been slowed by some staff turnover, Smith said. The council last April approved a $88,341 contract with GoodPointe Technology of St. Paul, Minn., to rate the condition of streets so a systematic maintenance program can be adopted.

Progress is seen
The news was good on progress being made in building a $1 million sports bar for keno on the corner of Pasewalk Avenue and the Highway 275 Bypass.

William Harvey, an attorney for Big Red Keno, told the Norfolk City Council on Tuesday that a late spring opening is still anticipated. The walls on the building are up. Roofing work has been slowed by the colder weather, he said.

Harvey also said Big Red is encouraged by the recent upward trend in keno revenue following several months of decline.