The Sierra Club supports construction of the proposed Missouri River pedestrian bridge connecting Omaha and Council Bluffs. We support this project for three reasons:

We need a bridge so pedestrians and bicyclists can safely cross the Missouri River between Omaha and Council Bluffs. This is not a new vision. In a March 20, 1989 World-Herald article entitled “Recreational Plan Includes Trails Pedestrian Bridge,” Mayor Calinger and City Planner Shukert described their conceptual plans for riverfront parks on both sides of the river connected by a pedestrian bridge.
The bridge is an important element of the “Back to the River” project originated by former Senator Bob Kerrey. When Union Pacific transferred me from St. Louis to Omaha in 1986, I was disappointed to find that Omaha ignored the Missouri River as a recreational and tourist resource. The river was viewed as an open sewer and it’s banks were just a place for ugly, polluting industries. Sierra Club and other environmental groups campaigned to get Asarco to stop polluting the air and river. Rather than clean up its act, Asarco chose to close. Beginning with Heartland of America Park and then the Asarco and Gallup campus sites, it is exciting to see the “Back to the River” vision becoming a reality.
This project fits in well with several goals of Omaha’s Master Plan which was adopted in January 1997:

Provide public amenities which enhance the city’s image.
Emphasize people, not automobiles, in the design of streetscapes.
Create an interconnected park and open-space system.

The proposed bridge design provides not only a functional and safe pathway over the river, it will be a striking icon that will enhance the city’s image. One feature that we particularly like on the new trail bridge across the Platte River near South Bend is the “pockets” which allow pedestrians admiring the scenic view to stand outside the main lanes of traffic. We anticipate that this bridge will see very heavy traffic, especially on summer weekends.