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Location and Transportation

Location is a key advantage to any enterprise or community, and the benefit of sitting on the main east-west Interstate-80 artery, running from San Francisco to New York and intersected by U.S. 385 that connects intercontinental routes from Mexico to Canada, creates a favorable position for our area businesses. U.S. Highway 30 (east-west main route) and Highway 19, also cross at Sidney, bringing traffic from the Colorado Front Range, adding to the steady flow of visitors.

On these major arteries leading into Sidney, traffic increased by 200 percent since 1988. Total vehicles on these three main arteries totaled 6,680 per day in 1988. By 2004, the latest year that traffic statistics are available, that total escalated to over 17,000 per day. If each vehicle represents 2.5 people, approximately 15.5 million people annually travel those highways to Sidney. Some are looking for a break in their travel routine, fuel, a meal and rest or recreation, but most will do some type of business during their stay.

All of these statistics are strong indicators of the economic strength of the Sidney area. Agriculture has also had major production price gains the past couple of years. The community’s emphasis to diversify by adding focus on the industrial sector and interstate development over the past 20 years has helped strengthen the region, riding the highs and lows of other sectors of the economy.

The Interstate-80 development opened in 1988. Now, 45 businesses doing $250 million in annual retail sales—with $150 million of new investment and with 3,500 jobs—are located in this corridor. The Sidney/Cheyenne County Economic Development Partnership is working on additional projects at the I-80 Exit 59 and its three industrial parks, two private and one public. The Wal-Mart Super Center opened in January of 2004, strategically positioned near Nebraska’s number one tourist attraction in 2006, Cabela’s retail store, and 600 motel rooms are now availble.

Sidney also benefits from the steady pulse of rail traffic created by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad mainlines that cross paths at Sidney and connect to the Sidney & Lowe Railroad. The Union Pacific serves as a major transportation link envisioned by the nation’s leaders, as the golden spike was driven home, uniting the Pacific with the Atlantic. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe provides a steady flow of coal to power plants in the southwest, feeding the regions ever-increasing need for electric power. Both railroads also serve as a key provider for the agricultural community, hauling bulk shipments of coal and wheat to markets that ultimately feed the world. The Sidney & Lowe short line allows local industries to tap both UP and BNSF for rail services and two industrial parks are tied to this line.

Sidney Municipal/Lloyd W. Carr Field airport also serves with importance, holding the distinction of being one of the busiest airports in the nation, for its size. Nearby Scottsbluff, Nebraska and Cheyenne, Wyoming airports offer regional commuter connections to Denver International, which is only a short commute away.

Although most businesses in Sidney close at a reasonable hour, the steady stream of traffic that pulsates over road and rail never ceases and there is always someone ready to greet the night owls with a friendly Sidney smile on a 24-7 basis.