NORFOLK, Neb. -- Following the public hearing last month, Nebraska Department of Transportation continued with discussions with farmers and land owners along Highway 275 on Tuesday.

The meeting was an informal one where those affected by the proposed changes for the highway came to give their input and get questions answered.

Some of the concerns included safety, snow storage, and clearing up some confusion from residents.

“The comment period was going to be until Jan. 22,” Allen Hoehne said. “Nobody knew about it. I called lots of these people after the meeting, nobody heard of it. That’s pretty crazy.”

With farm land surrounding the highway, some farmers say trying to drive their equipment in the proposed “J-turns” may cause issues.

“I got to get in the left-hand lane going at a max speed of 23 miles per hour…Some trucks barreling down and we know he’s not going to be doing 70, the posted speed limit, because nobody does,” one resident said.

One resident drew comparisons to the "J-turn" at the Highway 81/91 intersection at Humphrey.

“When I pull up to the J-turn, I could look straight into the traffic meeting me,” he said. “The thing I don’t like about that J-turn…it’s too tight. Now, you’re talking by my place 70 feet [and] that helps a lot. It’s not that I like the J-turn, but I’ll agree I think they are safer for the corners.”

NDOT said that safety is paramount when building the expressway and said compromises will have to be made in order to complete the project.

“We can’t keep saying we’re going to wait because this is what we did for a while there saying, ‘We’re going to wait.’ Well, guess what? Prices aren’t changing any, so how long do you wait?” said Deputy Director of Engineering Khalil Jaber.

NDOT said the next step is getting the Right of Way process started as soon as possible and will look to be started in late March or April.

The comment period on the express remains open until Jan. 22 and NDOT said they will inform the landowners when everything is finalized.