It should come as little surprise that most of the major additions to the 2030 update of the city-county Comprehensive Plan deal with roads.

After all, the city already has approximately $135 million in street projects it can’t afford to fund over the next dozen years. And it has developers and business owners breathing down its neck to do more street work in newly developed areas.

The draft of the Comprehensive Plan update, released Thursday, calls financing available for streets “chronically inadequate.”

Despite that, the updated plan includes $2.43 billion worth of road projects, including some that would widen a portion of O Street and nearly all of Cornhusker Highway and Nebraska 2 to six lanes.

To help pay for all that, the city is proposing adding a half-cent sales tax and increasing the state’s gas tax another 4 cents, which would bring in an additional $480 million in road funding.

The city already levies the maximum local sales tax of 1.5 percent, meaning any increase would likely have to be pursued through legislative changes. City officials could not be reached for comment.

Other highlights of the updated plan include:

* Language encouraging a downtown arena and convention center “as soon as possible.”

* Language clarifying the size and scope of neighborhood center shopping developments.

* The addition of “Potential Large Employer Opportunity Areas” outside the city limits that could accommodate a major employer. Two of the sites are near the airport, one is near 98th Street and Havelock Avenue and the other is on South 38th Street near the future south beltway. None of the sites are served by infrastructure, but all but the South 38th Street site could be in the near future if needed.

* Projections that Lincoln’s population will reach 350,000 by 2030, with the county’s population nearing 400,000.

The city also added about five square miles to its Tier 1 growth area, bringing the total area to about 52 square miles. Tier 1 is described as the area that could expect urban services within the next 25 years.

Steve Henrichsen of the Planning Department said the 52 square miles encompass areas in which developers have shown interest and that are “economical to serve” with water, sewer, etc.

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.

Public meetings planned

To see a draft of the updated city-county Comprehensive plan, go to http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/plan/cplrtp/drftplan.htm.

Open houses:

5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Gere Library, 2400 S. 56th St.

5-7 p.m. Thursday, Lower Platte South NRD, 3125 Portia St.

Planning Commission hearing:

Oct. 18, 3 p.m., County-City Building, 555 S. 10th St.