Ground Breaking Ceremony for new Pedestrian Bridge Linking Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Bands played from Thomas Jefferson High school of Council Bluffs and from Central High school in Omaha. 200 hundred enthusiastic people were in attendance at the site on the west side of the bridge crossing. Our two mayors both of Irish decent commented on various colors for the bridge based on our state's college football team colors and decided that it should be painted green with white shamrocks.

Seriously it was brought up that one of our early settlers 130 years ago stood on one of the hills and looked down at the two towns separated by a wide river and remarked at the number of lights from fires, lanterns and candles and how it lit up the whole sky. He then remarked on how some day the two cities would appear as one large city with numerous bridges crossing the river for traffic in carts and on foot. Here we are now bringing one of those bridges to life as we link the cities of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.

As an ADT board member we look at this connection in the light of a central connector of a major national trail that is just beginning to take shape in minds across the country. It is truly a chance to bring us together both in geography and in spirit of what one can do to make our country a better place. At 22 million dollars, 3000 feet long and 200 feet high at the supporting cable staying pillars this bridge is destined to be a landmark, an icon for the region and a symbol of what can be done by many working together often in the face of those with less enthusiasm for the idea. However, great ideas seldom fade away and though it took over 20 years for this bridge to come to life, it has been worth the wait, worth the time to answer every criticism with reason and worth keeping the spirit in believing a dream of a safe pedestrian/bike crossing. Locally, we will finally have a way to cross the Missouri River which has been a barrier to connecting our local extensive trail networks on both sides of the river. At the National level, we have created a destination and a starting point. A starting point for others to follow as they take back home the idea of what a bridge can be.

Gary L. Gebhard
Nebraska ADT State Coordinator