December 19, 2002

Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge design unveiled

n those hot, humid summer evenings, Omahans and visitors alike will soon be able to walk along something really cool. Plans were unveiled this week for a stylish and majestic looking pedestrian bridge that will span the Missouri River.

The bridge will be anchored on the Nebraska side at the newly developed Lewis and Clark Landing and on the Iowa side at the soon to be developed One Renaissance Place.

Presentations about the proposed pedestrian bridge were held this week in Council Bluffs and Omaha. Although the majority of people who attended the presentations were impressed and favor building the bridge, the project is not without it's critics. Many people question the design, safety and cost of the $22.6 million bridge.

The bridge will be primarily funded by federal money. The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District will contribute $1 million and Nebraska and Iowa will be responsible for $1.5 million each. Council Bluffs and Omaha will share the maintenance costs for day-to-day upkeep. 

After considering public input, city, state and federal representatives will vote on the design. The vote is expected to take place in the next few months. The bridge designers, Figg Bridge Engineers of Denver, will then finalize the design and begin taking bids from contractors. Construction is expected to start in the fall of 2003 with a scheduled completion date of 2005. 

This unique structure will provide a safe path for pedestrians and bicyclists to commute over the river. It is also hoped that visitors will enjoy strolling across the bridge to take in the river scenery. The bridge is part of the Back to the River effort first introduced by former Senator Bob Kerry of Nebraska.
According to Council Bluffs Mayor, Tom Hanafan, the structure will be the only one of its kind to connect two states.

Trails from the bridge will be built to tie into the existing trail network. A trail running to the south on the Nebraska side will go into the Heartland of America Park and will connect to the north Keystone Trail through Fontenelle Park and N.P. Dodge Park.