Omaha Streetcar - CONSTRUCTION

[OmahaJaysCU]

I make this comment as a strong streetcar proponent, but that design doesn’t appear to lend itself for easy expansion.

[Brad]

I make this comment as a strong streetcar proponent, but that design doesn’t appear to lend itself for easy expansion.

East end they would need a switch and a crossover to extend down to the ballpark. West end they remove the switch and keep extending track. I really don't think the initial design is too much different than KC. KC had a switch and a dead end on the south end, Omaha has it on the west end. KC had a loop on the north end, Omaha has a loop on the east end.

[arch_RP_planner]

Do you have the link to the document set with the actual design sheets like this?

[stadsborgare]

The turn from 8th onto Farnam has now been poured.



or most of the turn, at least.

Also the walk between the Old Market and GLM has been cut off at 11th & Harney (no picture), so for a while one will have to go around by walking to 10th St. They are digging up all of Harney from 10th to 13th, I presume, so they'll be able to lay continuous uninterrupted track in that stretch..

Meanwhile in Midtown...


The cement pour has reached all the way to the doors of Channel 6, and would be one continuous embedded track from Turner Blvd to here were it not for

this little break, where they still have yet to weld some tracks together.


Further west the tracks are now in place all the way up to the doors of the Storz mansion (or Revival House coctail bar across the street, whatever be your reference point).

[Garrett]

Do you have the link to the document set with the actual design sheets like this?

This image is from here:

https://publicinput.com/Customer/File/F ... 90dadce28e

This Grow Omaha article also has a few different images

https://growomaha.com/grow-omaha-streetcar-stops/

Notably, this, which shows the tracks merging east of 39th St

[stadsborgare]

New developments in the past 5 days...

Crew is working on section under the 480 bridge, on Capitol Ave past 9th and there's a gravel bed halfway down the slope that leads onto 8th St. Lot of activity there.


At the turn from 8th onto Farnam, the whole intersection has been paved.


On Farnam by the GLM there is track almost up to 13th St.

But the quickest progress is happening in Midtown.

The westbound part of the route is now concrete-embedded from Turner Blvd all the way to just shy of 37th St. -- without a break! Right up to in front of the Cottonwood Hotel.


And as you see here, a crew is putting up the forms for another concrete pour soon, which would then take it almost up to 38th St.

From 38th-going west there might be a bit of a pause in momentum as they still have to fix that cave-in that made all the headlines earlier.

[stadsborgare]

Downtown:


In the past week they've laid tracks you can see now snaking their way down the hill under the 480 bridge, toward the new streetcar maintenance facility.


Back up around on 10th St. they have put up barricades for what I presume is starting work on continuing the line south from the initial point they first started from in late April.


And then there's a new section recently poured that is between 1200 block and 13th St. on Farnam.


On Harney they have it all dug out from 10th to 13th and are at work smoothing it over so they can lay the gravel bed.

Midtown:


There's a new section poured between 37th & 38th, and before long they'll have it all the way to 38th from Turner.

This location here will be one of my favorite stops, right in front of Shoeman's. I can picture in my mind the platform in the middle of the street receiving trains from both directions, and this little section half-completed here is just the beginning of this picture starting to take shape.


Already they are starting to pave the street around the newly embedded tracks, as right here in front of the Crescent Moon, one of my favorite eating spots. As well, further east in Midtown Crossing they are filling in the pavement and I'd say before the Jazz on the Green season is over, all of the barricades will be gone.

That is, until they eventually come back to work on the eastbound part of the line. But that is for sometime later in the timeline of the project.

[Renovator2559]

Nice pictures! Thanks for the update, looks like construction should wrap up soon

[Brad]

Nice pictures! Thanks for the update, looks like construction should wrap up soon

Oh no… I will agree its moving along quickly but it’s not wrapping up anytime soon. There’s a rail in the ground on Farnam around 10th St., also around the 10th and Capitol down to 8th and back towards farnam, and there’s rail in the ground in the Blackstone, but there is a long… long stretch in between with nothing and there’s also not a single stick of rail laid in Harney Street anywhere yet.

[stadsborgare]

Nice pictures! Thanks for the update, looks like construction should wrap up soon

Oh no… I will agree its moving along quickly but it’s not wrapping up anytime soon. There’s a rail in the ground on Farnam around 10th St., also around the 10th and Capitol down to 8th and back towards farnam, and there’s rail in the ground in the Blackstone, but there is a long… long stretch in between with nothing and there’s also not a single stick of rail laid in Harney Street anywhere yet.

Maybe he meant construction specifically in Midtown Crossing, which appears to be wrapping up for the time being until they work their way back there and do the other side of the street.

[Brad]

Streetcar Photos from this morning. This first post will be the downtown area. Second post will be the Midtown Area

1. Farnam Street

20260726881A4249.jpg

2. Farnam Street

20260726881A4253.jpg

3. 8th & Farnam Street

20260726881A4254.jpg

4. 8th & Farnam Street

20260726881A4268.jpg

5. Farnam Street

20260726881A4275.jpg

6. Farnam Street

20260726881A4280.jpg

.

[Brad]

Streetcar Photos from this morning. This Second post will be the Midtown Area.

7. Farnam Street over I480

20260726881A4387.jpg

8. Farnam Street over I480

20260726881A4398.jpg

9. Farnam Street over I480

20260726881A4402.jpg

10. Farnam Street

20260726881A4439.jpg

11. Farnam Street

20260726881A4451.jpg

12. Farnam Street

20260726881A4454.jpg

.

[stadsborgare]

Now three months in, after the first track was laid in the ground in front of Addy's on 10th & Dodge in late April, I have calculated roughly how much is now done - insofar as tracks alone, not the overhead wires, power units, etc..

Tracks in place with ties - 22% done

Tracks/ties embedded in concrete - 16% done

My measuring stick is in blocks, and yes, I do account for the double tracks from Turner Blvd to 40th St. I count all those blocks twice, so in all there's 71 blocks of track to be laid.

[skinzfan23]

Great update. I really like the #11 with the Cottonwood/Blackstone in the background.

[Brad]

Great update. I really like the #11 with the Cottonwood/Blackstone in the background.

Thanks! Its a great building to have in the background.

[Stan]

How does that work at Farnam over I480? Is that temporary concrete to finish out the bridge that can be removed easier to inlay the rail?

[stadsborgare]

A couple new things...

The section on Capitol Ave east of 9th and going down the hill onto 8th under the 480 bridge - it has been poured. Also not pictured, they are paving the street around it, too. I think this little part of the line might be running separate from the street. I could be wrong.


This part between 13th & 14th on Farnam has the gravel bed, and appears to have measuring sticks in preparation to track-laying.


Good look at 12th to 13th on Farnam.


Forms in place, around 11th & Farnam.


8th Street, between the parks, you can now drive through (to view the public market construction).

[locoluke]

A couple new things...
The section on Capitol Ave east of 9th and going down the hill onto 8th under the 480 bridge - it has been poured. Also not pictured, they are paving the street around it, too. I think this little part of the line might be running separate from the street. I could be wrong.

You are correct.

[Renovator2559]

I was getting ahead of myself, there is still plenty of Streetcar construction. I was just a bit too excited. I just hope future streetcar lines don't take this long

[BuildTaller]

How soon do they paint the lines on the roads? Before it re-opens or some time after?

Driving in KC has been interesting with the new rules implemented down Main and all the new street paint.

[InTheRoom]

We do get numb to all the road work a little bit... I had a friend come into town and we headed downtown. The entire ride she was exclaiming "oh my god, this is awful, they destroyed the city" as we made it from Blackstone downtown via Harney Street. It has been going on for so long that I kind of forget it's even there. The out-of-towner was genuinely floored by how insane downtown was, and moreso that it had been like that for a year.

[nebport5]

We do get numb to all the road work a little bit... I had a friend come into town and we headed downtown. The entire ride she was exclaiming "oh my god, this is awful, they destroyed the city" as we made it from Blackstone downtown via Harney Street. It has been going on for so long that I kind of forget it's even there. The out-of-towner was genuinely floored by how insane downtown was, and moreso that it had been like that for a year.

It's funny how our precious roads torn up(that will all be rebuilt for the better) equates to the city being destroyed.

Counterpoint: Maybe point out to her all the historic buildings that have been destroyed since just the 80s, many of which were replaced by freakin' parking garages.

[InTheRoom]

We do get numb to all the road work a little bit... I had a friend come into town and we headed downtown. The entire ride she was exclaiming "oh my god, this is awful, they destroyed the city" as we made it from Blackstone downtown via Harney Street. It has been going on for so long that I kind of forget it's even there. The out-of-towner was genuinely floored by how insane downtown was, and moreso that it had been like that for a year.

It's funny how our precious roads torn up(that will all be rebuilt for the better) equates to the city being destroyed.

Counterpoint: Maybe point out to her all the historic buildings that have been destroyed since just the 80s, many of which were replaced by freakin' parking garages.

She'll love that... "Yes, but we have also destroyed buildings too!" lol

I think it was just the "boiling the frog" idea where for residents it has been a slow build to what feels like peak disruption for a 30 block stretch where for her it went from zero to a hundred since she wasn't in town. There is a mind-boggling amount of streets torn up right now for a CBD of our size.

[Busguy2010]

I have no clue of the schedule but on completion of westbound Farnam from Turner Blvd, do they give us a brief reprieve on that stretch before they start tearing up the south side?

[halgy]

We do get numb to all the road work a little bit... I had a friend come into town and we headed downtown. The entire ride she was exclaiming "oh my god, this is awful, they destroyed the city" as we made it from Blackstone downtown via Harney Street. It has been going on for so long that I kind of forget it's even there. The out-of-towner was genuinely floored by how insane downtown was, and moreso that it had been like that for a year.

My brother was complaining about the same route a few weeks ago. I don't get it. Yeah there's lots of construction and closed lanes, but I've never experienced any significant traffic backup because of it. Except for when there's events downtown, in which case there's gridlock regardless of construction.

[stadsborgare]

I have no clue of the schedule but on completion of westbound Farnam from Turner Blvd, do they give us a brief reprieve on that stretch before they start tearing up the south side?

From what I've read, their plan is to finish the north side all the way to the end, which is 39th-40th St. and then start on the south side working from the end point west-to-east. So by that, I would assume there would be a nice reprieve in Midtown Crossing.

[Brad]

I have no clue of the schedule but on completion of westbound Farnam from Turner Blvd, do they give us a brief reprieve on that stretch before they start tearing up the south side?

From what I've read, their plan is to finish the north side all the way to the end, which is 39th-40th St. and then start on the south side working from the end point west-to-east. So by that, I would assume there would be a nice reprieve in Midtown Crossing.

That was the plan, but if you go by that West End right now they, it looks like they haven’t done a single thing since the brothers collapse…. Even starting to get some weeds growing in the excavation.

[Busguy2010]

From what I've read, their plan is to finish the north side all the way to the end, which is 39th-40th St. and then start on the south side working from the end point west-to-east. So by that, I would assume there would be a nice reprieve in Midtown Crossing.

That was the plan, but if you go by that West End right now they, it looks like they haven’t done a single thing since the brothers collapse…. Even starting to get some weeds growing in the excavation.

God forbid we have another 16th street sinkhole debacle on our hands. I was just hoping once theyre finished with the westbound portion, they shift to some completely different section, like Harney, which has a long way to go. Im just hoping for maybe at least 6 months of no or minimal construction on that section. Let us all take a deep breath, citizen and business in all. That alone could be the difference those businesses need between life and death.

[Brad]

I’m actually surprised Kiewit just didn’t buy the building to make the problem go away. They have the resources to shore it up or demo it, then flip it. Seems better then getting their name drug through the courts.

[nebugeater]

I have no clue of the schedule but on completion of westbound Farnam from Turner Blvd, do they give us a brief reprieve on that stretch before they start tearing up the south side?

From what I've read, their plan is to finish the north side all the way to the end, which is 39th-40th St. and then start on the south side working from the end point west-to-east. So by that, I would assume there would be a nice reprieve in Midtown Crossing.

That was the plan, but if you go by that West End right now they, it looks like they haven’t done a single thing since the brothers collapse…. Even starting to get some weeds growing in the excavation.

Likely in a holding pattern due to pending litigation

[locoluke]

I look forward to riding the new streetcar line between 8th and Capitol and 37th and Farnam.

[stadsborgare]

Update time...

- Harney Street -


(looking east-to-west)

There's rail on Harney! From 11th to 13th.


(looking west-to-east)


They've cleared the way from 13th to 14th on Harney...


And working on doing the same from 14th to 15th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Farnam Street -


Track is now concrete-embedded from short of 13th to short of 10th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Tenth Street -


Over on 10th, looking south from Dodge, it looks like they've got more underground work to take care of.

[stadsborgare]

A crew was hard at work today setting up the forms around the tracks at 12th & Harney Streets.

Sometimes I wonder how many crews they can have working simultaneously at any one time, or how many people they have on the project, total. I don't know the answer, but just a cursory observation today, there was the crew on Harney, and one working at the maintenance facility with several cement mixers lining up to do a pouring, perhaps for pavement outside of the building, I'm guessing, and then a crew working in midtown. And then one doing underground work on 10th St. between Douglas and Farnam, but I don't know if that's the same people that do track construction, it's more of a utility relocation thing.

So that's 3 separate areas with track construction related activity. All of Farnam St. downtown remained quiet. Nobody working there.

Oh, I almost forgot, there were men at work digging up pavement and grading of dirt on Harney between 13th & 15th, so that's another crew, but not doing the actual track assembly yet.

So if you go downtown on a weekday afternoon and wonder why isn't there anyone working (such as looking at the lack of activity on Farnam) which is an oft complaint of the anti-streetcar people, the answer is probably they are concentrated somewhere working diligently on something, you just have to look for them. It's not like they're going to be all over the place at the same time.

[joleo]

Has anybody heard any rumblings of an extension of the street car to UNMC? I think doing so would really help to increase ridership!

[almighty_tuna]

Has anybody heard any rumblings of an extension of the street car to UNMC? I think doing so would really help to increase ridership!

That was in the original plans. In the end, the streetcar line was shortened to end ~40th street with the understanding that UNMC was going to provide a route through their campus. IIRC they had so much construction in their own master plan that it would've been more difficult to coordinate with the initial line's construction.

[Garrett]

Has anybody heard any rumblings of an extension of the street car to UNMC? I think doing so would really help to increase ridership!

When I interviewed the head of the Blackstone BID a couple years ago for a project, he mentioned that UNMC was looking at an extension to 46th (or maybe 48th?) and Farnam. Obviously nothing has been said since, but we'll see. Thankfully, any extension out there won't be nearly as disruptive to businesses.

[Mapguy]

If they make a stop on 48th they should put it as close to Leavenworth as possible to connect with the busline and Bakers. That could become a nice little transit center area where the Jiffy Lube was. They have the space.

[Busguy2010]

Question is which way to go from there. Its no small decision whether they want to put a station on the north end vs south. Somebody has to decide what the next extension will be. South end - Aksarben. North end Dundee.

To me, Aksarben is a more vibrant neighborhood with UNO also, so you'd think logically Aksarben>Dundee. But, the distance between is also no small matter. Have to think we'll get both in the end, but which one first?

[locoluke]

Tidbits from the August Interim Directors Report:

Design optimizations are in progress for the streetcar track on Farnam west of
38th Street in Blackstone. Kiewit is taking a brief pause on construction in this
section while updates are finalized

4. Vehicles: Discussions continue regarding the delivery schedule for CAF vehicles. We
expect to receive the first vehicle by late fall 2027

It also includes a general overview of current and upcoming construction activities.

[halgy]

Design optimizations are in progress for the streetcar track on Farnam west of
38th Street in Blackstone. Kiewit is taking a brief pause on construction in this
section while updates are finalized

I wonder if this means an extension into UNMC, or if it is jut part of the normal construction.

Otherwise, great to see continued progress. I've been impressed with their construction across Dodge at 10th. They've managed to do most of the prep work without having to fully shut down the street, which has avoided some minor headaches. If they can really get the rail laid and concrete in 4 days, I'll be happy. And hopefully it is a good indicator for when they build through other important intersections.