OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Monday, the recommendation for a revised streetcar route was given the green light.
The previous route would have used 10th Street up to Cass. But after reviewing the route and new developments downtown, the Omaha Streetcar Authority board took another look.
"We noted some challenges with that alignment and for the study, one of which is that alignment did not get close to the Riverfront development," Nick Stadem of HDR engineering said.
The major change is the route will go north on 10th to Cass Street and then loop back to Capitol Avenue.
"At which point it goes to the east on Capitol, down to 8th, runs down 8th to Farnam and then loops back and heads west on Farnam," Stadem said.
The board believes this will allow easier access to the Riverfront amenities.
But there are some concerns. Cyclists are concerned about routes overlapping, while others want to know how this might impact traffic and deliveries along the route.
"Well now that the route is established the design team and those that are doing kind of discovery and due diligence along the route can know for certain that this is the area where we need to focus," Jay Noddle, president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority, said.
Some of that focus includes looking at the intersections and looking at utilities on the roads, and how everything will function together in the big-picture scheme.
"All those different ways that people get around, we are going to be now focused on 'how do they all co-mingle,' 'how does it all work together,' " Noddle said.
Noddle said this was an important step but there is a lot that still has to happen before a street car rolls through the city.
The Omaha Streetcar Authority said they hope that as the next drawings are being created, they will work to establish a contractor.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
