Third District Congressman Adrian Smith has asked for federal earmark funding of a Heartland Expressway study that would provide a plan to update costs, schedule segment priorities and quantify economic development benefits. Smith says the $475,000 earmark, requested by Panhandle Area Development District, will fund a study that would include a new schedule for planning and development of the Heartland corridor as part of the proposed multi-state Ports to Plains highway that would extend from Texas to Canada.

Smith noted representatives from several states along the Ports to Plains corridor, including Scotts Bluff County Board Chair Mark masterton, visited with him this past week about the importance of funding for the highway. The study has an overall cost of $1.6 million.