North Platte/Sandhills Post
Highway 30 Ogallala to Chappell is officially open. This stretch of road was the last main closure on the western side of the state as NDOT crews work to get the roads plowed.
The past few days, Nebraska was hit with a winter storm with blizzard conditions causing road closures for I-80 and Highway 30. The closure began from Paxton to Big Springs due to low visibility on I-80. As the day progressed, I-80, along with Highway 30 would extend the closure east and west to eventually closing from Kearney to the Wyoming state line last night.
I-80 and Highway 30 eastbound would open up this morning from Ogallala. I-80 would open up eastbound and westbound around 9:40am CT/8:40am MT. NDOT crews worked on highway 30 west of Ogallala. Crews eventually had the road open fully westbound from Ogallala sometime after 1:00pm CT/12:00pm MT.
NDOT says use caution and patience as you get back on the roads - winter driving conditions still remain, so take it slow, turn off cruise control and watch out for plows.
Motorists were stuck in communities and needed a place to stay during the winter storm. In North Platte, after hotels reached capacity, the North Platte Rec Center opened up its door for motorists who needed a place to go. Ogallala's Prairie View School would open their doors up for anyone who was stranded and welcomed over 130 visitors.
To check the latest on openings, road conditions and plow locations, check the https://511.nebraska.gov/.