LINCOLN- Construction of Nebraska's new prison complex north of Lincoln is already behind schedule and is likely to cost far more than the $350 million lawmakers have set aside for the facility, which figures to be among the most expensive projects in state history. State officials had long maintained that they would build the 1,500-bed prison within the budget lawmakers approved and claimed construction would begin in the fall of 2024.

As recently as August, a spokeswoman for Nebraska's prison system said prison officials still believed they could build the prison with the $350 million lawmakers set aside last year to do so. But Nebraska lawmakers and state officials and legislators in South Dakota, where a similar proposed 1,500-bed prison is projected to cost $825 million, have cast doubt on that claim, which even Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services officials no longer appear to believe.

For the full article click HERE