Kearney Highway Shop – Kearney NE

Description

In May 1938, a storage yard and highway shed was under construction on 33rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Utilizing Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor, the building and completed site was estimated to cost $8000. One and one quarter acres of ground were fenced with six-foot wire mesh on steel posts set in concrete. A patrol shed, measuring 56 by 40 feet, with three large stalls for maintainer machines and trucks was built on the site. A repair shop and office space were located in the building as well. Factory-made steel trusses and columns were used in the construction. The building had city electric and water service. Sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Roads and Irrigation, the building would house trucks, snow plows and other equipment. Two “patrolmen” living in Kearney were responsible for maintaining the highways around Kearney. Their routes included Highway 83 north of Kearney, Highway 40 from Glenwood to Miller, Highway 30 from Shelton to Odessa, and Highway 10, south to the paving.