Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
A footbridge connecting Omaha and Council Bluffs
Neighborhood: Riverfront
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EmailThe Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, also known as the Footbridge, is a walking bridge connecting Council Bluffs, IA to Omaha's Riverfront, just north of Downtown. The bridge opened on September 28, 2008, and is named after the Nebraska Senator who secured funding for the project, Senator Bob Kerrey.
The Bob Kerrey Footbridge is an s-curved cable-stayed bridge with a striking, modern design, perfect for a midday stroll or refreshing night time walk. It's something of a must-see for visitors, especially at night, when the multi-colored lights are turned on and spiders spin impossibly long webs between the bridges many cables.
Bob Kerrey footbridge at nightThough evening sometimes sees the bridge overly populated with packs of cigarette-smoking teens, the area is well-lit, conveniently accessible, and safe (police call buttons are located on the bridge). When the weather is nice, it makes for a great date night walk after an evening in the nearby Old Market!
The bridge is the first ever pedestrian bridge to connect two states, with plaques highlighting the point over the Missouri River where the state lines meet. This allows those walking the bridge to literally have one foot in Nebraska and one foot in Iowa!
Underneath the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian BridgePedestrians and bicycle riders can travel from the Port of Omaha's Miller Landing in Omaha to One Renaissance Center in Council Bluffs. Both the Nebraska and Iowa sides of the bridge connect to a vast network of paved trails, with access on the Nebraska side north to Kenefick Park (north), Levi Carter Park, and as far as N.P. Dodge Park, and south to the Heartland of America Park, Kenefick Park (south), and the Omaha Botanical Gardens/Lauritzen Gardens.
The Omaha landing of the 3000 foot long, 15 foot wide bridge features the Omaha Plaza, with bench seating, exhibits, a water jet spray fountain (perfect for hot days), a Fiber Wave Sculpture, play area, and a National Park Service Visitors Center.
The bridge offers great views of the Omaha skyline, overlooking the Qwest Center, Gallup University, and nearby to Lewis & Clark Landing.
Omaha side of the pedestrian bridge
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Location
Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
705 Riverfront Drive
Omaha, NE 68102United States
Phone:
(402) 444-5900
41° 15' 49.3488" N, 95° 55' 27.6996" W
(402) 444-5900
Comments
Anonymous (not verified) says:
March 2, 2012 : 12 years 36 weeks ago
“…named after the Nebraska Senator who secured funding for the project, Senator Bob Kerrey.”
Presumably funded by citizens of Omaha and Council Bluffs only. And not by citizens of Maine, Florida, Washington state, etc.
Right? Cuz if not, it should be renamed “Federally-funded Boondoggle #4,573,971,121.”
Eli G (not verified) says:
February 28, 2013 : 11 years 37 weeks ago
Anonymous (if that is even your real name),
I’m from New Jersey (and now live in DC), and I’m happy that my tax dollars may have helped build such a beautiful and useful “boondoggle.”
Eli
Left Omaha for good (not verified) says:
April 9, 2013 : 11 years 31 weeks ago
This is Omaha & Council Bluffs partial PAYBACK for all the Boondoggles they have funded all over the rest of the USA. Especially the multitude of those suck-fish Yankee (Democrat heavy) tax payer rip off projects (Boston $15-$22 billion Big Dig, etc etc etc).
Rick (not verified) says:
May 29, 2013 : 11 years 24 weeks ago
This bridge was built by DeLongs Inc. in Sedalia and Jefferson City Mo. I had fun help to build the bridge. Me and my co worker had one of the most hardest part of the bridge. I glad that it is being well liked and used..
Rick (not verified) says:
May 29, 2013 : 11 years 24 weeks ago
We did not build the bridge on site but built the steel parts for the bridge.
Anonymous (not verified) says:
May 22, 2015 : 9 years 25 weeks ago
“Though evening sometimes sees the bridge overly populated with packs of cigarette-smoking teens, the area is well-lit, conveniently accessible, and safe (police call buttons are located on the bridge).” No thanks.