 f you haven't traveled along Abbott Drive in Omaha lately or been down to the riverfront, you'll be quite amazed at the difference in scenery from what you might remember. The
 drive from Eppley Airfield to downtown Omaha may now even be described as scenic. Lighting along both sides of Abbott Drive illuminate a path towards the skyline of downtown which has also been changed with the completion this year of the new First National Bank building. If you travel this same route during the day, you'll notice the piles of scrap metal that lingered towards the east have been removed and you actually have a view of the river. Turn and look towards the west and you can see Omaha's new convention center-arena in progress.
When cruising the river alongside this busy area by boat, you'll certainly notice the significant difference in scenery,
especially by this summer. To all of you seasoned local area boaters reading this article: Remember the old rusted
diesel train engine perched precariously on the  riverbank at the Ferrer and Son's metal "reclamation" scrap yard?
(FYI: It was a classic early 1950's era ALCO S2 diesel.) That old abandoned train engine had been propped there above
the scrap yard's riverbank for about 10 years.
We must have cruised by, or floated past that landmark on at least a couple hundred occasions. It always caught
your attention because it appeared as though the huge thing was going to slide into the river any time. The
engine was partially wedged behind an old twisted stubborn Cottonwood tree, it's back bent over from the many years of gravity and erosion causing the once proud massive iron behemoth to slide
down the embankment, ever closer toward the murky depths of the river channel below. We knew that the mighty Missouri River, perennially patient, would swallow yet again another victim of
gravity, erosion and time.
Local boaters remember the numerous mountains of scrap metal, spilling over the river banks, tumbling down to the water's edge as a result of old rotted decayed containment fences having met the same eventual fate as the aforementioned train engine. That's all gone now. In it's place, you'll see the new Lewis and Clark Landing that is scheduled to be completed later this year and the construction of the Gallup Organization's $75 million Gallup University and office building.
Ground was officially broken this past Thursday, April 18, for the Gallup campus. Governor Mike Johanns, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and employees from Gallup's operation in Lincoln,
Nebraska were on hand for the ceremony. A 285,000 sq. ft. main building and a child development center will soon occupy the 50-acre site. Both structures, being built by the Weitz Co., are scheduled to be completed in October 2003.
Between 500 and 550 employees will move into the new building upon completion. Gallup also expects to add 150 to 200 more people over the next year or two. Construction of an on-campus hotel and additional buildings may be added in the future.
 The building will be oriented to both the river and to the land. It includes an administrative wing which will have an employee dining room and a fitness center. The training center will have outdoor terraces overlooking the river and will be connected by walkways to a public hiking and biking trail along the river.
Besides Gallup, the 112-acres of riverfront land will include the city's Miller's Landing Park, a National Park Service office building, the Nebraska landing of a pedestrian walkway across the river, a riverfront restaurant and land for future residential and retail development. All of which will be under development at the same time. 
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he map shown here gives us a birds-eye view of what we can expect the riverfront to look like once all construction has been completed. As you can see here,
