March 7, 2009

Parking woes in downtown Omaha

f you're planning on attending an event at Omaha's Qwest Center, you had better bring plenty of patience along with you.

Construction of the new downtown stadium on former parking lots C and E along with several street closings has caused chaos around the Qwest Center. If more than one event is happening at the same time, expect parking to be at a minimum.

I had first-hand experience of the parking crisis in recent weeks. The first weekend, the Home & Garden Show was scheduled at the same time as the state wrestling meet. The next weekend, it was the same experience again when the Omaha Sports Show was scheduled at the same time as a Creighton basketball game. You heard the same disgruntled statement from just about everyone attending the show about the lack of parking.

One has to think, if it's this bad now, what will happen once the new baseball stadium is completed?

In addition to what seems to be a lack of parking in the area, lane restrictions on Cuming Street has permanently closed 12th Street from Webster to Cuming and starting March 20th, Cuming will be completely closed between 20th and 27th Streets for sewer work. As a result, drivers will not be able to exit I-480 onto Cuming. This is expected to last until the end of November.

Although new smaller parking lots E, F and G have been added, getting to them is not all that easy. Traffic cops are everywhere during an event telling you which way not to go but are not much help when you are trying to find available parking. You may find yourself driving in circles before you actually find the entrance to any of these lots.

If you do plan on attending an event at the Qwest Center, you may want to print off the map we've included here and keep it in your vehicle to help you navigate. Of course, this is only good until the next change takes place.