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Missouri River trail bridge links Omaha and Council Bluffs

Riverfront trails on both sides of the river will be joined by a nearly half mile long pridge being built by the city of Omaha, Nebraska in cooperation with Council Bluffs, Iowa.

By Jon Kovach
Art & Marketing Director

	Water trail sign at a boat ramp - click to enlarge

ItÕs going to be one of the longest pedestrian bridges ever built. Besides connecting two great communities the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge will carry walkers and cyclists into 150 miles of trails in Iowa and Nebraska. All that, and good looking, too.

Designed by HNTB Corporation of Kansas City the cable stay span will have the visual impact befitting a major river crossing.

The bridgeÕs dramatic look will come from single-tower pylons, 200 feet above the water on both sides of the Missouri River that will give the superstructure a simple elegance and opportunity for dramatic lighting. The towers will carry a unique curved 506-foot main span and two 253-foot back spans.

Detail of sign on the Susquehanna River Water Trail (click to enlarge)

he bridgeÕs deck will feature a constant, unobstructed width of 15-feet over the entire length of the bridge, widening out to 20-feet on the Omaha landing so that there will be enough width for both cyclists and pedestrians to comfortably share the path. The structure and its connections will be completely ADA compliant to ensure that everyone will be able to enjoy it.

The Omaha side is designed with a circular plaza providing public space for a variety of uses, while the Council Bluffs landing provides flexible connectivity to future developments in the vicinity of Playland Park.

The $22 million project is largely funded by a $17 million federal transportation grant secured by Senator Bob Kerrey. Nearly all the remaining funding has been secured including recently announced $1 million pledges each from The Peter Kiewit Foundation and the Iowa West Foundation.

In the past, temporary signage such as laminated prints, were used to post information about the river. Over time, these proved to be quite vulnerable to weather and vandals. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council identified problems such as fading, tearing, theft, and overall wear and tear and come up with a permanent solution to these problems.

Fiberglass embedded graphics were chosen because of their resistance to rain, snow, and sun. These panels, fabricated by Pannier Graphics, coupled with frames by the same company have proven to be impervious to the elements, vandalism, and theft.

The orientation and safety signage system

For more information contact V.T. Miller at vmiller@neb.rr.com.

Coming Soon to a Picture Postcard Near You!

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