At 75 mph, most drivers on Interstate 80 see rest areas as quick stops. Travelers who pull off near Grand Island, York, Kearney and other points along the corridor find something more lasting: large abstract sculptures rising from the grass.

At the Platte River Rest Area eastbound near Grand Island, steel cuts hard angles against the sky. At the York Rest Area westbound, limestone from the same quarry that supplied the Nebraska State Capitol anchors another work. Elsewhere along the highway, forms bend, arc and turn in the wind, making rest areas part of an outdoor gallery.

The sculptures arrived in 1976, when Nebraska marked the nation’s bicentennial with a public art project at I-80 rest areas. The interstate follows part of the same corridor as historic migration routes across the state, including the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. State planners saw the rest areas as places to put contemporary art in front of travelers rather than inside museums.

The project, which follows a theme of Horizons ’76, drew more than 100 artists. The finished works leaned modern: steel, stone, abstraction, sharp lines and open space. Selected artists lived in Nebraska communities during the project, led workshops and met with residents.

Not everyone welcomed the results. Nebraskans questioned the cost, the look and the meaning of the sculptures. Some wanted public art that more directly reflected pioneer history. Others objected that Nebraska and Midwestern artists had not been represented among the selected sculptors.

The Crossing the Plains sculpture rises beside an Interstate 80 rest area near York.

The I-80 sculpture collection includes Bradford Graves’ “Crossing the Plains” at the York rest area.

Bill Ganzel / The Committee for the Preservation of the I-80 Bicentennial Sculptures

The most debated piece was “Erma’s Desire,” John Raimondi’s weathering steel sculpture at Grand Island. Its title and abstract shape made it a flashpoint for arguments over public art and public money.

Five decades later, seven of the sculptures remain along the corridor. Richard Field’s “Memorial to the American Bandshell” still stands at the Ashland Rest Area eastbound. George Baker’s “Nebraska Wind,” designed to move across a pond at the Kearney Rest Area westbound, incorporated weather as part of the work.

This summer, communities along I-80 will revisit the project with rededication ceremonies in the days before the Fourth of July, part of the buildup to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Artist John Raimondi will also host artist talks. Nebraska Public Media revisits the sculptures in a seven-episode digital series for its YouTube channel, pairing archival footage with present-day reflections.

The rest areas still serve the road. The sculptures do, too, giving travelers a reason to leave the interstate for a few minutes and look again.