Some downtown businesses are using temprary wooden sidewalks until the new sidewalks are paved.

Sidewalk work moving forward

by Mary Le Arneal
Published 10/4/23

After months of behind-the-scenes tree shaking by the Chamber of Commerce, Purcell Initiative and City of North Bend, work has started in replacing most of the downtown sidewalks.

The Chamber of Commerce reached out to the Nebraska Department of Transportation in early 2022 about giving downtown property owners the option of completely replacing their sidewalk while the curbside half of the sidewalk is already being replaced as part of the state’s Highway 79/Main Street paving project.

After months of back-and-forth, NDOT said its contractor was not willing to take on the extra work but businesses were free to replace the remaining half of the sidewalk once the state project was completed.

Jason Saalfeld, a member of the Purcell Initiative, North Bend’s Economic Development Committee that started as an offshoot of the Chamber, reached out to offices of the governor and several state representatives to see if there was a better option than waiting to tear out sidewalk next year when it will be sitting between new sidewalk and the buildings.

A conversation Saalfeld had with Congressman Mike Flood bore fruit. Flood reached out to the Nicki Kramer, the NDOT director, which started the dominoes falling. Late this summer, North Bend was given permission to tear out and replace the portions of the sidewalks not covered by the state project as the state project was progressing. Property owners will pay for the sidewalk replacement not covered by the state project.

Most, but not all, downtown property owners are opting for the full replacement. A few will stand pat with the current sidewalks.

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