Nebraska is asking residents to identify safety and travel problems at 140 BNSF rail crossings along a 64.5-mile corridor linking Omaha, Lincoln and surrounding communities.

Railroad crossing gates beside grain silos in Roca, Nebraska
A railroad grade crossing in Roca, Lancaster County, Nebraska. Illustrative image; it does not show NDOT’s 2026 survey activity. Photo: Jared Winkler / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Survey covers crossings in five counties

The Nebraska Department of Transportation has opened an online survey through Aug. 20⁠ as the first public-input phase of the Omaha to Lincoln Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Plan.

The study covers parts of Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Saunders and Lancaster counties. The inventory includes 73 at-grade crossings, where roads and tracks meet at the same level, and 67 grade-separated crossings, such as bridges or tunnels.

Residents can select individual crossings and report how often they use them, whether trains cause delays, whether alternate routes are available and whether they have experienced or witnessed a near miss. The questionnaire also asks about difficulties faced by pedestrians, cyclists and people using mobility devices.

NDOT will combine the responses with crash history, existing-condition reviews and cost analysis to identify locations with safety or operational concerns.

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Road overpass and footbridge above BNSF tracks in Ravenna, Nebraska
A highway overpass and footbridge cross BNSF tracks in Ravenna, Nebraska. Illustrative image; Ravenna is outside the Omaha-Lincoln study corridor. Photo: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons / public domain.

Plan may recommend closures, gates or grade separation

The study does not assume that every crossing will be changed. Possible recommendations include closing or combining crossings, upgrading warning signals and gates, changing road alignment or elevation, creating new road connections or grade separations, and adding pedestrian or bicycle improvements.

The Federal Railroad Administration selected the planning study⁠ for funding of up to $600,000 through its Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. The federal project summary says NDOT and BNSF Railway will provide the 20% non-federal match.

Under the current schedule, crossing inventory work and public engagement continue through September 2026. NDOT plans to develop recommendations, cost estimates and priorities from October through December, followed by draft-plan work from January through spring 2027.

The initial announcement described spring 2027 as the anticipated completion point, while the detailed project schedule lists release of the final plan in early summer 2027. The plan will guide later funding and implementation decisions rather than authorize immediate construction at every location.

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