<body><div>No less than a dozen multi-million-dollar construction projects are currently underway around North Platte, with another half-dozen projects in the advanced planning stages, as the city experiences the biggest construction boom in more than 20 years.The pace and scope of construction seems dizzying after decades of relatively stagnant growth.The $400 million Sustainable Beef packing plant, which is expected to start operating within days, is the driving force behind the city’s growth, sparking several major housing projects.In addition, a new, $30 million airport terminal building is taking shape at Lee Bird Field. Also, Great Plains Health hospital is building a $14 million addition to its sports therapy building.The successful city bond drive in 2022 authorized a $40 million expansion of the city recreation center on the south side of town, as well as a $9.6 million improvement at the outdoor Cody Pool on the north side. Those projects are well underway. This week, we’ll focus on new developments on the east side of the city – the airport, the industrial waste treatment plant, Fat Dogs travel center and other projects, which together cost nearly $100 million.North Platte Regional AirportBlessed by good winter weather, the new terminal building at North Platte Regional Airport is making rapid progress.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3MS88a_11MRHtDx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3MS88a_11MRHtDx00" width="800" height="446" ><figcaption>The interior walls are steadily going up at North Platte Regional Airport. Photos by George Lauby</figcaption></figure>Work began in late October. Deep footings were put in place during the winter months to anchor the 24,600 square-foot building in the sandy soil of the Platte Valley.Airport Manager Justin Gosnell said the mild winter allowed the footings to be installed without extensive dewatering, which would have been the situation if the work had extended into the spring.The interior walls are going up now. Gosnell expects the interior to take shape in the next two months.The airport is a busy place. The number of enplanements (passengers getting onboard) set a record in 2024. He said Skywest Airlines will continue to fly daily, and often, twice-daily to Denver and back. The new terminal, designed by HDR design and engineering of Omaha, will feature mass timber beams, photovoltaic glass, geothermal heating and cooling, stormwater capture and reuse, and it will accommodate multi-modal transportation.The existing terminal, parts of which date back to 1952, no longer meets the demands of modern travelers and security equipment.“We will no longer the oldest airport terminal in Nebraska, but the newest,” Airport Authority board member Alan Erickson said at the groundbreaking.Gosnell said the construction presents the need for adjustments for visitor and customer parking. There is a lot for two-hour parking, as well as a 15-day lot and a 30-day lot. The cost is free, but Gosnell said it’s important for motorist to use the right lot to minimize congestion. In a separate project at the airport, workers have replaced some hanger doors that were damaged in a microburst windstorm in June. The repairs cost about $2 million, he said.Industrial wastewaterThe city is overseeing construction of a wastewater treatment plant for water from the Sustainable Beef packing plant, which will be piped more than a mile north into two new above-ground lagoons for treatment.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0IGaGe_11MRHtDx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0IGaGe_11MRHtDx00" width="1000" height="724" ><figcaption>Two giant cranes are building the new industrial wastewater treatment facility just off Newberry Road.</figcaption></figure>The lagoons are located immediately north of the city’s existing wastewater treatment plant.Sustainable Beef wastewater will be treated separately. Waste from the packing house will not enter the city’s system, the city’s contracted engineer, Brent Burklund, has said. The industrial wastewater area, with lagoons and other structures, will cover 16 acres. The initial size will accommodate 1.9 million gallons of wastewater per day – more than expected, Burklund said. And, there is room to expand the pant by another 50%. Burklund said the plant’s wastewater will enter two above-ground, anaerobic lagoons, each about 25 feet tall. The lagoons are lined, top and bottom, with a plastic-type material that seals the contents, allowing bacteria to eat away at the solids in an enclosed environment.After five days, the treated wastewater moves into a concrete mixing chamber for more breakdown.Eventually, the harmful bacteria is destroyed and water is cleared for release into the Platte River.Burklund said approximately the same amount of odor is expected to be generated from the treatment of industrial waste as is emitted now by the city wastewater plant.Of the cost, $20 million is paid with a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Those funds originally came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that was geared to keep the economy moving in the wake of the pandemic. The rest of the cost, around $40 million, will be paid by user fees from Sustainable Beef and any other industries that might use it in the future, City Administrator Layne Groseth said. Residents will not be charged for it.When it comes to supplying electricity for the Sustainable Beef plant, Groseth said the city is adding more capacity under a cost-share arrangement with Sustainable Beef.Fat Dogs Travel CenterThe 13,000 sq. ft. Fat Dogs building and fueling stations are in the latter stages of construction. Nearly half of the parking lot is paved, Chief Operating Officer Clarine Eickhoff said May 13.Groundwork began in 2023 on the $6 million Wilkinson Development project in the northeast quadrant of Exit 179 on I/80. When complete, the travel center will have parking for 150 semi-trucks, CEO Mark Wilkinson has said.The street on the north side of the travel center, Hadley Drive, has been renamed Halligan and extended farther east to the I/80 campground, Eickhoff said. The entrance off Newberry is being raised to a grade more conducive to longer, heavier semi-trucks. The roadwork is expected to take a month or more. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Z78aE_11MRHtDx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Z78aE_11MRHtDx00" width="800" height="500" ><figcaption>Road work at Fat Dogs, May 25</figcaption></figure>Eickhoff said the new segment of Halligan Dr. will be dedicated to the city of North Platte when improvements are complete.The travel center is expected to begin operation in July, weather permitting.Other Fat Dogs are located along I-80 from Sidney to Lincoln. Wilkinson has described his latest travel centers in Lincoln, Grand Island and North Platte as “a testament to our ongoing dedication to Nebraska’s communities and the countless travelers and truckers on I-80.”Wilkinson’s nickname was “Fat Dog” when he was younger. “We’re having fun every day,” he once said.Also, on the east side of North Platte:<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3wj3Al_11MRHtDx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3wj3Al_11MRHtDx00" width="800" height="471" ><figcaption>The Twin Platte NRD has moved into the former home of Farm Credit Services at Philip &amp; Newberry.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1TAu6D_11MRHtDx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1TAu6D_11MRHtDx00" width="700" height="291" ><figcaption>A new six-bay storage building for Carhart Lumber</figcaption></figure>(This report was first published in the Bulletin’s May 14 print edition.)© 2025 The North Platte Bulletin. 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No less than a dozen multi-million-dollar construction projects are currently underway around North Platte, with another half-dozen projects in the advanced planning stages, as the city experiences the biggest construction boom in more than 20 years. The pace and scope of construction seems dizzying after decades of relatively stagnant growth.

Development: Three east side projects valued at nearly $100 million

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No less than a dozen multi-million-dollar construction projects are currently underway around North Platte, with another half-dozen projects in the advance

Development: Three east side projects valued at nearly $100 million

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