August 01, 2009
The crowning jewel of Omaha’s riverfront skyline has been recognized for its contributions to the city’s civic image.
The crowning jewel of Omaha’s riverfront skyline has been recognized for its contributions to the city’s civic image.
The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and Omaha Plaza are the recipients of Omaha by Design’s 2009 Civic Leaf award. Representatives from the partnership involved in the project’s realization will be honored at the Aug. 19 meeting of the Omaha by Design Advisory Committee.
The Civic Leaf – presented annually by Omaha by Design – recognizes an individual, organization or business that has worked to define and improve the metropolitan area’s civic places and public image.
The bridge, named after former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, officially opened Sept. 28, 2008. It’s the longest pedestrian bridge linking two states, and its curve is symbolic of the meandering Missouri River. The bridge’s two single towers rise 210 feet in the air, and its cable stay design provides strength, support and flexibility as well as visual appeal. LED lights at the top of each tower, funded by Gallup and the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation, beckon travelers from all directions.
The bridge is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parking is available on Riverfront Drive at Lewis & Clark Landing and Miller’s Landing. Additional parking on evenings and weekends is available at the Midwest headquarters of the National Park Service. Metro Area Transit Route 16 provides direct access to the Omaha side during weekday rush hour, and Route 11 provides service Saturday and Sunday.
The 3.3-acre Omaha Plaza is home to a unique fiber wave sculpture, an interactive water jet fountain area with terraced seating, a grass earth sculpture and a river critters environmental play area. Stone sculptures of the Pallid Sturgeon, Piping Plover and Least Tern eggs, carved by Denver artist Andrew Dufford, interpret the plight of river wildlife species due to loss of habitat. The plaza is also home to 73 trees as well as plantings that compliment the National Park Service’s interpretive garden.
Past recipients of Omaha by Design’s Civic Leaf include Metropolitan Community College (MCC), Omaha Public Library and Metro Area Transit for the development of MCC’s South Omaha Campus Connector and First National Bank for its commission of two sculpture parks, Spirit of Nebraska’s Wilderness and Pioneer Courage, in downtown Omaha.
For more information, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.