Interstate 480 (Iowa-Nebraska)

Infobox road
route=480
type=I

---

length_mi=4.90
length_round=2
length_ref= [ [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.htm Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2] ]
year_established=October 21, 1966 [ [http://iowahighways.home.mchsi.com/highways/otherint.html#480 Iowa Highways@I-480 and I-680] ]
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=NE|I|80|US|75 in Omaha, NE
junction=Jct|state=NE|US|6 in Omaha, NE
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Jct|state=IA|I|29|US|6 in Council Bluffs, IA

Interstate 480 (abbreviated I-480) is a loop highway that connects downtown Omaha, Nebraska (at a junction with Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 75) with Council Bluffs, Iowa at a junction with Interstate 29. The entire length of I-480 is a short 4.9 miles. U.S. Route 6 runs jointly with I-480 for a short distance, from Council Bluffs across the Missouri River.

The portion in Nebraska is called the "Gerald R. Ford Freeway" after the Omaha native son President. It passes near the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens. The girder bridge across the Missouri River completed in 1966 replaced the Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge which was the first road bridge across the river connecting the two cities.

In 1999, a bill in the United States House of Representatives would have extended I-480 south along US 75 in southern Omaha and Bellevue, then east through Plattsmouth to connect with Interstate 29 near Glenwood, Iowa, increasing the length of the I-480 to 19 miles. However, this bill never advanced out of committee; instead, the states of Nebraska and Iowa have begun work on a plan to build two bridges across the Missouri River .

History

In the late 1950s the construction of what was then referred to as Route 3 was highly controversial. It conveniently crossed through the western and northern edges of Downtown Omaha, two areas city leaders had considered "blighted" since the 1930s. The heavily Catholic, ethnic European neighborhoods the route went through rallied against the demolition of their homes, and the city's parks advocates provided resistance as well. [Bednarek , J.R.D. (1992) "The Changing Image of the City: Planning for Downtown Omaha, 1945-1973". University of Nebraska Press. p 152.] Eventually the Interstate planners won out, and the city's historic Jefferson Square was demolished, as well as dozens of homes along the route. [Bednarek , J.R.D. (1992) p 177.]

Future

As of 2005, the Nebraska Department of Roads began a project to bring the I-480/US 75 interchange up to Interstate standards. Construction is expected to be complete in 2009.

Exit list

References

External links

* [http://www.nebraskatransportation.org/projects/480-75/index.htm US 75, I-480 Interchange Project]

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