LINCOLN, Neb. -- A group of rural Nebraska senators said on Thursday that they want to finish off the state's expressway system..

Speaker Mike Flood led the group, who is asking the State Highway Commission to live up to a 1988 plan that connects major cites to the interstate. There is 180 miles left to build that senators say is crucial the survival of some rural communities.

"The longer we wait, the less opportunity we have for economic development," said Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff. "It is key for economic development in our region."

Unfinished expressways include U.S. Highway 275 between Omaha and Norfolk, U.S.. Highway 81 between Columbus and York, U.S. Highway 75 between Bellevue and Nebraska City, U.S. Highway 30 between Schuyler and Fremont and U.S. Highway 77 between Wahoo an Fremont.

The original plan also included finishing off Lincoln's South Expressway and a short link near Kimball in western Nebraska.