Omaha streetcar: City unveils route details, design plans

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Omaha officials on Tuesday afternoon unveiled more information about plans for the city’s streetcar, including stops along the route, proposed lane layouts, and potential vehicle designs.

Omaha Streetcar Authority said Tuesday has been a really exciting day — that they’re ready for the public to get a closer look at preliminary designs and give input on stop locations and ask questions.

OSA officials held an event from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Empire Room to give the public a look at maps and designs, and get their questions answered on anything from construction timing to traffic impacts.

Ahead of Tuesday’s big reveal, OSA officials met with business owners along the planned route, including 6 News, to gather input and discuss plans ahead of releasing details to the public.

They’re also hoping to educate the public on the financing behind the project.

“You won’t be paying unless you’re an income-producing business,” said Steve Jensen, deputy chief of staff for the City of Omaha.

ROUTE PLANS

The planned route has 22 stops.

Venue and destination stops would include CHI Health Center arena, Gene Leahy Mall, Mutual Tower, Orpheum Theater, Turner Park, and UNMC. Others would be located at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue, 8th and Douglas streets, and along Farnam and Harney streets.

• Farnam Street stops: 19th, 24th, 26th, 33rd, 37th, 39th, and 42nd streets
• Harney Street stops: 10th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th streets

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Bookended by the arena and UNMC, the route will pass through The RiverFront, the Old Market, Farnam Hill, Midtown Crossing, and the Capitol, Flatiron, and Blackstone districts.

ROAD LAYOUTS & VEHICLE DESIGNS

The city also unveiled four renderings of potential streetcar designs on Tuesday.

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They also included diagrams of proposed lane configurations.

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One such design includes accommodation for bike lanes, placing them on the opposite side of the streetcar. The bike lanes would be one-way travel, flowing the same direction as traffic and the streetcar. But the city noted that bike lanes were part of a separate project.

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IF YOU WANT TO GO: The Omaha Streetcar Authority’s next meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 20, in the Legislative Chambers at the Omaha Douglas Civic Center, located at 1819 Farnam St.

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Reporter Brian Mastre contributed to this report.

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