Busguy2010 wrote: Sat Feb 28, 2026 10:34 am
There are quite good options for using the bus instead.
Looks like you get where I was going with. Park and ride using transit instead of finding car parking in the construction zone.
The bus lines are there to support these businesses during streetcar construction. The difference is pushing the masses (neutral supporters) to ride the bus to the Farnam corridor.
I would tear a page from a small town mindset. They do First Saturday events in their tiny downtown square. It's like a party for their small city to drive people downtown. Instead, we do our event every Saturday. Streetcar Saturday's!
This is where you partner with the parking lots along the bus lines to get people to ride. Park at Aksarben Village, ride route 15, park at South MCC campus and ride 3, Westroads and ride Orbt, etc. You need to make it appear it's a huge party and everyone is doing it. Be there or be square. lol
Brad wrote: Fri Feb 27, 2026 8:52 am
The solution is simple. If you are a streetcar supporter, you should be supporting business along the line. Stop eating at Pizza Hut, Texas Road House, Applebee's, Burger King, Culvers, and all the other garbage in this town and go downtown/midtown and support these local businesses that need you. I was in the Blackstone yesterday and it was a ghost town. You could literally park in front of any business you want. We went to Jay's (Formerly Bob and Willie's) and the place had less than a dozen people there. There are enough streetcar supporters in this town, these businesses would not be having problems if all the streetcar supporters supported them.
I've obviously not driven down in the area in some time, but is it really that bad, or is it the Omaha mindset of "If I can't park directly in front of my destination I might as well not go" bad?
For me personally it's not about parking in front of my destination, it's that we've seen lots of videos, posts like this thread, etc. that all say it's a mess. There's hundreds of other options that I can go to where there is no mess. I got stuck at Tupelo once and I'll just wait until the construction is over.
I've never had a problem on Farnam though (35th - 40th).
Brad wrote: Fri Feb 27, 2026 8:52 am
The solution is simple. If you are a streetcar supporter, you should be supporting business along the line. Stop eating at Pizza Hut, Texas Road House, Applebee's, Burger King, Culvers, and all the other garbage in this town and go downtown/midtown and support these local businesses that need you. I was in the Blackstone yesterday and it was a ghost town. You could literally park in front of any business you want. We went to Jay's (Formerly Bob and Willie's) and the place had less than a dozen people there. There are enough streetcar supporters in this town, these businesses would not be having problems if all the streetcar supporters supported them.
I've obviously not driven down in the area in some time, but is it really that bad, or is it the Omaha mindset of "If I can't park directly in front of my destination I might as well not go" bad?
For me personally it's not about parking in front of my destination, it's that we've seen lots of videos, posts like this thread, etc. that all say it's a mess. There's hundreds of other options that I can go to where there is no mess. I got stuck at Tupelo once and I'll just wait until the construction is over.
I've never had a problem on Farnam though (35th - 40th).
Is it significant who’s saying that it’s a mess? And I’m not saying that’s an unfair characterization at times but so has it been with construction at I-80/Giles, one lanes on Dodge, Pacific and Center the past year or so. Or even 180th St during a typical rush hour. A lot of these people would say Downtown/Old Market are always a mess and that there’s no parking. I can understand and have also experienced the Tupelo area being challenging to say the least, but this isn’t all the time as the construction fluctuates from street to street. As someone who lives in this area I’d much rather deal with the current construction vs having to deal with moderately busy Village Pointe where parking is so deficient that it results in consistent parking on medians, grass and frontage roads. Living downtown I have to make a few extra turns sometimes but it hasn’t ruined my day or stopped me from going anywhere by car, though, of course I’d prefer to walk anyway it the occasion allows.
Seems the exciting list of NEW projects from developers that were going to be jumping at the immense opportunity along the line is declining. No grocer, no more beam project, no more children's museum. Instead, we're ending up with one new tower - abandoning their complex of towers that'll sit empty for years and years - and a few 4-6 story apartment complex's. We can't even beg large developers to build with TIF along the line.
Alongside that, we're actively destroying the revenue of many businesses along the corridor for a $500 million dollar transit service that's slower than a bus and set in stone via rails. I'm hopeful the 20 or so proponents of this project found solely on this form get plenty of use from it. It would've made 1,000x more sense double the cost and build a light rail system spanning from the I680 interchange or Elkhorn to downtown similar to the denver rail line.
omagrow wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2026 4:20 pm
It would've made 1,000x more sense double the cost and build a light rail system spanning from the I680 interchange or Elkhorn to downtown similar to the denver rail line.
Getting to 680 alone would have, optimistically, quadrupled the cost, not doubled. Elkhorn you’re probably looking at 8 times the cost. And that’s just if you want it running in the street. Grade separation would run you even more.
Do you really think the political capital is there to spend ~$3 billion on a light rail line that would also need drastic changes in land use to be feasible? Along with sacrificing at least 3 lanes on Dodge? Because the best way to finance it and sustain it as a system would be to essentially follow the model of what they’re trying to do with the streetcar.
Agree, clearly you know nothing about how light rail works. Our metro is definitely not big enough for it and the cost would be exponentially larger than we’re seeing for the street car.
skinzfan23 wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2026 7:21 pm
Agree, clearly you know nothing about how light rail works. Our metro is definitely not big enough for it and the cost would be exponentially larger than we’re seeing for the street car.
Eh, Omaha could support a line or two if it wanted to. Rail transit isn't about population size, it's about population density and ease of access, be that via walking directly or through feeder systems like buses, biking, or the dreaded park and ride. But it would be costly and take a lot of redevelopment to be able to work in the less dense areas of the city if someone really wanted to push it out to suburbs like Elkhorn, Bellevue, Papillion, etc.
omagrow wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2026 4:20 pm
It would've made 1,000x more sense double the cost and build a light rail system spanning from the I680 interchange or Elkhorn to downtown similar to the denver rail line.
Getting to 680 alone would have, optimistically, quadrupled the cost, not doubled. Elkhorn you’re probably looking at 8 times the cost. And that’s just if you want it running in the street. Grade separation would run you even more.
Do you really think the political capital is there to spend ~$3 billion on a light rail line that would also need drastic changes in land use to be feasible? Along with sacrificing at least 3 lanes on Dodge? Because the best way to finance it and sustain it as a system would be to essentially follow the model of what they’re trying to do with the streetcar.
We can't put light rail down Dodge. It's classified as a highway and has traffic volume metrics to maintain to keep that classification. If you want more mode options, you would have to declassify it. This is why ORBT has curbside stations and not center lane stations. The current BRT system works fine for now. I would rather focus on other corridors for light rail such as Maple, Center, or 72nd, etc.
Most of the cost for building light rail is building the dedicated right of way. When Seattle built theirs, they stated 80% was right of way (rebuilding curbs and medians), 20% was for rails and trains. So not much more investment over a True BRT service. ORBT is closer to what they call BRT Lite.
I constantly read peoples comments on social media, and most don't understand the difference between modes. Why build a streetcar when you can use a bus? Why build the streetcar when you can build light rail. All good questions, but the function they serve is different.
The streetcar is a destination hopper down the core of downtown and midtown. If you need to move faster, you walk one block over to ride ORBT to travel faster. Each mode has its own job to do. As a rider, you will transfer from one to the next based on your needs. One mode is not a silver bullet. It takes a full functioning network of multiple modes to make a healthy transit network.
To put things into a simple comparison, let compare a transit network to the human body. Each body part has a specific task to do, but all are tied together to work in unison.
Streetcar- (HEART)- This is the lifeblood of the city. It's the densest part of the city and most lively city life. The heartbeat of the city.
BRT/Light rail/Metro Rail- (MUSCLE)- These modes move large amounts of people down a corridor fast. The strength of moving tons of people.
Local Bus- (ARTERIES/VEINS)- The vast network of connecting to all parts of the city.
Main Transit Center/Hub - (BRAIN)- The command center when most go to change directions. Where we decide where we are going, which mode to take, what events to attend, etc.
Mayor Ewing put out a statement on Facebook this evening.
Today I met with representatives of the Streetcar Impact Alliance.
I included members from my office, our Public Works and Law Departments and two members of the Omaha City Council: President Danny Begley and Member LaVonya Goodwin. Our goal is to collaborate with this group of businesses along our streetcar route and advance our shared interest in driving traffic through their doors. We had a frank, robust discussion about their challenges and needs. I hope we keep this discussion ongoing while also coming together as a city to reach their front doors. It is possible to get anywhere in Omaha. We want these businesses to survive, and we need the people of Omaha to patronize them.
We appreciate how impactful construction can be. Certainly this massive project - the biggest Omaha has undertaken in generations - is undergoing its heaviest construction yet, with major utility work underway at Turner Boulevard and east of it through downtown while mainline work has begun. A big shipment of steel rail is expected on Thursday. Most of the real estate along this 3.1 mile route is experiencing some sort of streetcar route work. It will start to improve later this year.
Meanwhile, we will work hard to lessen impacts, improve communication and work with our businesses. We're thankful to the Alliance for organizing and presenting their concerns. Our team is looking forward to meeting again in two weeks.
Fair enough, I just question the real purpose of the current route. I only bring up a monorail type system from one end of the city to the other because Omaha's CBD is on the complete opposite end of half the metro - this is VERY unique in comparison to almost every other city. There's essentially only one major artery and one mode of transit (I-80) from the West Omaha into downtown. In essence, I just don't see a lot of frequent users outside of those living in Blackstone/Midtown. Nobody west of UNMC will ever use the line because it doesn't make sense to abandon your car when you're nearly there.
Many have this impression that the streetcar will be slow, but that's just not true. It will be able to easily move within traffic at the posted speed limit. Sure, there will be stops, but for the most part, especially with signal preemption, it's not going to hold traffic up anymore than a bus would.
omagrow wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2026 10:54 pm
Fair enough, I just question the real purpose of the current route. I only bring up a monorail type system from one end of the city to the other because Omaha's CBD is on the complete opposite end of half the metro - this is VERY unique in comparison to almost every other city. There's essentially only one major artery and one mode of transit (I-80) from the West Omaha into downtown. In essence, I just don't see a lot of frequent users outside of those living in Blackstone/Midtown. Nobody west of UNMC will ever use the line because it doesn't make sense to abandon your car when you're nearly there.
I don’t know if it’s accurate to say that it’s unique for downtown to not be in the center of the metro. Many metros are lopsided in this way, especially in coastal areas.
And you are correct that ridership on the streetcar will likely drop off west of UNMC. It’s not meant to be a commuter train for all. Rather it offers transportation options for those living and/or visiting the part of the city that best balances density of points of origin and destination, the potential for significant increases in points of origin and destination, AND in an environment that is conducive to rail transit (not office parks and strip commercial centers).
"Video game violence is not a new problem. Who could forget in the wake of SimCity how children everywhere took up urban planning." - Stephen Colbert
omagrow wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2026 4:20 pm
It would've made 1,000x more sense double the cost and build a light rail system spanning from the I680 interchange or Elkhorn to downtown similar to the denver rail line.
Getting to 680 alone would have, optimistically, quadrupled the cost, not doubled. Elkhorn you’re probably looking at 8 times the cost. And that’s just if you want it running in the street. Grade separation would run you even more.
Do you really think the political capital is there to spend ~$3 billion on a light rail line that would also need drastic changes in land use to be feasible? Along with sacrificing at least 3 lanes on Dodge? Because the best way to finance it and sustain it as a system would be to essentially follow the model of what they’re trying to do with the streetcar.
We can't put light rail down Dodge. It's classified as a highway and has traffic volume metrics to maintain to keep that classification. If you want more mode options, you would have to declassify it. This is why ORBT has curbside stations and not center lane stations. The current BRT system works fine for now. I would rather focus on other corridors for light rail such as Maple, Center, or 72nd, etc.
Most of the cost for building light rail is building the dedicated right of way. When Seattle built theirs, they stated 80% was right of way (rebuilding curbs and medians), 20% was for rails and trains. So not much more investment over a True BRT service. ORBT is closer to what they call BRT Lite.
Also correct. I personally think that lines down Maple and Center might work better for walksheds and potential redevelopment opportunities, but they're also mapped as highways for significant portions of their runs. We're also talking about wildly hypothetical situations that will likely never happen anyway.
I'm not fully against the streetcar - I suppose I'm more so disappointed in the lack of current momentum surrounding it from both the people and development it was sold on. The Beam/Children's museum was very exciting because it brought a taller residential building further away from where the majority of the height is found. Sure, it may still go through, but there are very few projects announced anywhere else along the line with any significant height - project health can't be included in what's come from the streetcar. TIF isn't even convincing big developers to step in, and we still have multiple large fields growing grass in the CBD.
I think the delays have been part of the issue, people were probably a little worried as they kept pushing the opening back. Once we have some rails in the ground developers will start believing again, I bet we hear of some decent new buildings by the end of the year with openings that line up with full streetcar operations kicking off.
Developers really need to step up. Between the park overhaul downtown and Mutual buildings and the streetcar itself actually beginning construction, now is the time to invest.
When the city council was hearing public comment about the $75 million tranche for the streetcar spending tis year, Steve Jensen said in addition to the $1.3 billion of publicly known investment within the streetcar district, the city is aware of another $400 million. They hope those additional projects will be announced by the end of the year. And he was optimistic that there are projects that they are not privy of. I think there is more than enough already going on to show the streetcar is already doing what it is supposed to from a development standpoint, and we are still years away from the route being operational. We will see more projects along the route.
Garrett wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 8:36 pm
Mutual continues to be the big question mark. At one point didn’t Grow Omaha say that was supposed to be by the end of 2025?
^Former Mayor Jean Stothert as a guest in Grow Omaha said that.
I’m still puzzled on how this project is so extremely delayed. I’ve worked downtown for two years and it feels like there are about 20 total employees working on construction of the streetcar in total. I’m half joking, but seriously, sections of roadway are closed for weeks before any dirt is moved, they sit unmoved for months until a crew shows up to do underground infrastructure work for a day or two, just to leave the hole in the ground open for another 3 weeks.
The city needs to complete internal investigations and publicize the findings or the rural senators and governor are going to find ways to use the botched streetcar construction to kneecap Omaha’s urban growth initiatives.
buildomaha wrote: Tue Mar 10, 2026 12:48 am
I’m still puzzled on how this project is so extremely delayed. I’ve worked downtown for two years and it feels like there are about 20 total employees working on construction of the streetcar in total. I’m half joking, but seriously, sections of roadway are closed for weeks before any dirt is moved, they sit unmoved for months until a crew shows up to do underground infrastructure work for a day or two, just to leave the hole in the ground open for another 3 weeks.
The city needs to complete internal investigations and publicize the findings or the rural senators and governor are going to find ways to use the botched streetcar construction to kneecap Omaha’s urban growth initiatives.
You are lumping together all the construction activities in to one lump and that is absolutely not fair. Until a few weeks ago, all the work being done was utility work. The actual streetcar work just started. MUD was using their own contractors and working at their own pace and doing whatever the heck they want. The streetcar contractor just started and is seemingly making great progress.
MUD is a terrible organization. They are tens of millions over budget and months behind schedule. MUD is using the streetcar to replace way more infrastructure than they need. MUD needs be held accountable, not the streetcar. MUD is single handedly trying to ruin the project. MUD was never head accountable for the M's Pub explosion and will never be head accountable for this.
I know the original plan timeline didn’t include the MUD work that has been done but I have no idea if the amount of time added to the project was reasonable for what has been done. Does anyone have insight into if MUD took an exorbitant amount of time on this?
Linkin5 wrote: Tue Mar 10, 2026 9:16 pm
I know the original plan timeline didn’t include the MUD work that has been done but I have no idea if the amount of time added to the project was reasonable for what has been done. Does anyone have insight into if MUD took an exorbitant amount of time on this?
This is the exact reason an investigation and public report needs to be made. It will prepare the streetcar authority avoid these issues in future expansion plans while explaining to the public what went wrong/ how these delays will be avoided in the future.
Linkin5 wrote: Tue Mar 10, 2026 9:16 pm
I know the original plan timeline didn’t include the MUD work that has been done but I have no idea if the amount of time added to the project was reasonable for what has been done. Does anyone have insight into if MUD took an exorbitant amount of time on this?
This is the exact reason an investigation and public report needs to be made. It will prepare the streetcar authority avoid these issues in future expansion plans while explaining to the public what went wrong/ how these delays will be avoided in the future.
The Flatwater Free Press did an article on the streetcar delays. Sorry, don’t have a link handy.
Flatwater Free Press wrote:The original agreement was to replace MUD’s underground pipes within about 10 feet of the tracks on either side, but the utility later demanded replacement of lines farther away from the rails, Stubbe said.
On top of that, MUD had begun insisting on replacing a 48-inch water main under Turner Boulevard — a demand that could cost the project millions of dollars and massive delays, Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Taylor wrote in a May email to MUD attorney Mark Mendenhall.
“I need to ensure that the District does not continue to engineer additional expenses … and continue to impact the project schedule,” Taylor wrote. “This project is already almost a year behind schedule and the only work done to date is utility work.”
The estimated cost of MUD’s work ballooned to $43 million last spring, but the utility held firm that it wouldn’t pay more than $7.6 million — an amount it negotiated to protect its ratepayers from rate hikes, said MUD President Mark Doyle.
It is aggravating enough when schedule delays and cost overruns are caused by external factors outside of our control (supply chain interruptions, inflation, etc.), or for NIMBYs to complain about development. But having the project almost sabotaged by what amounts to our own city really grinds my gears.
buildomaha is right, that there needs to be a postmortem this problem doesn't come up again. Even if those lessons are learned correctly, has this fiasco poisoned public option so much that future expansion is basically impossible?
halgy wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 7:51 am
having the project almost sabotaged by what amounts to our own city really grinds my gears.
I think there's a big distinction to be made between MUD and the City. Two very different and distinct entities that shouldn't be lumped together. This is the type of misinformation, albeit non-nefarious in its intent, that causes confusion not only for accountability for this and future major projects, but also when it comes time to vote out members of the MUD board. This isn't a streetcar problem, it's a MUD problem.
halgy wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 7:51 am
It is aggravating enough when schedule delays and cost overruns are caused by external factors outside of our control (supply chain interruptions, inflation, etc.), or for NIMBYs to complain about development. But having the project almost sabotaged by what amounts to our own city really grinds my gears.
buildomaha is right, that there needs to be a postmortem this problem doesn't come up again. Even if those lessons are learned correctly, has this fiasco poisoned public option so much that future expansion is basically impossible?
I always thought this would be inevitable. When we talk about how the USA forgot how to build transit, this is a lot of what was meant.
I hoped Omaha would do better with some of the talent we brought in to help advise though.
I dont think MUD is doing anything nefarious or overcharging and expanding work that didnt need to be done.
The 48" pipe that article mentions goes under Harney and Farnam on Turner Blvd---the part being replaced is between the rail lines. If the city is expanding its scope to replace the sewers in that area it makes sense to also replace the water line next to it---the money is ultimately coming from the same place.
I think the city negotiated a lopsided deal---thats not MUDs fault it has a good negotiation team. In the future 80% of the engineering should be completed before a utility estimate is done and instead of exact dollar amounts a perctage cost should be done. If a percentage was negotiated MUD would cover 25% of the costs when they ballooned instead of a maximum out of pocket.
If MUD or OPPD eat up more of those contingency funds to get a better more reliable product thats not a bad thing. This streetcar is being built to last decades---the pipes underneath (water/sewer) should also be designed to last just as long underneath.
What im more worried about with the TIF funds is the city spending the maximum amount to build affordable housing if it ends up not using the full TIF amount to build the line. The new bonds allow the city to use those TIF funds for other purposes if theres anything left---a potential slush funds for our politicians to use on pet projects.
Good for MUD for protecting their rate payers. The city rushed this without better knowing the costs and got into a bad contract. Now it is costing them extra money and more time then if they would have slowed down.
Trips1 wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 4:27 pm
Good for MUD for protecting their rate payers. The city rushed this without better knowing the costs and got into a bad contract. Now it is costing them extra money and more time then if they would have slowed down.
Haha protecting their rate payers, have you seen how many times they have voted for rate increases in the past 5 years? And how every time their executives pay has dramatically increased as well. It’s a poorly run organization.
We went to Bordeaux a couple of years back, and I was shocked at the size of their Tram network. There was a line that went out to the airport, and quite a few nice connections for getting around. We had originally planned on renting a car, but didn't need to/took a bus out to the vineyards - and then biked a big loop.
They didn't start their network until 2000 and now have several lines that have been consistently upgraded and added upon. This felt like a better comparison for a City like Omaha rather than trying to compare it to places like NYC or Paris. I think Bordeaux would be a really excellent place for Omaha to try to emulate, as far as the streetcar and public transit go.
Line A, 51 stations, 18.1 miles. That's got to be almost 2 hours to go from end to end. That sounds terrible. One vehicle parked over the line and you've got a massive system backup.
Line A, 51 stations, 18.1 miles. That's got to be almost 2 hours to go from end to end. That sounds terrible. One vehicle parked over the line and you've got a massive system backup.
Closer to an hour based on some checking on google maps. It helps that the network mostly runs on its own right of way over grass strips, since they design transit to actually function as transit.
Based on current conditions, it would take around 32 minutes to take the 9.5 km trip from the airport to the city center compared to a 25 minute drive.
Line A, 51 stations, 18.1 miles. That's got to be almost 2 hours to go from end to end. That sounds terrible. One vehicle parked over the line and you've got a massive system backup.
Closer to an hour based on some checking on google maps. It helps that the network mostly runs on its own right of way over grass strips, since they design transit to actually function as transit.
Based on current conditions, it would take around 32 minutes to take the 9.5 km trip from the airport to the city center compared to a 25 minute drive.
Yeah, but Omaha won't have any (minimal) right of ways. Covering our city in trams isn't really what we want.
Line A, 51 stations, 18.1 miles. That's got to be almost 2 hours to go from end to end. That sounds terrible. One vehicle parked over the line and you've got a massive system backup.
Closer to an hour based on some checking on google maps. It helps that the network mostly runs on its own right of way over grass strips, since they design transit to actually function as transit.
Based on current conditions, it would take around 32 minutes to take the 9.5 km trip from the airport to the city center compared to a 25 minute drive.
Yeah, but Omaha won't have any (minimal) right of ways. Covering our city in trams isn't really what we want.
"Won't" and "Isn't willing to" are two distinct concepts.
Garrett wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 9:05 am
"Won't" and "Isn't willing to" are two distinct concepts.
It gets us to the same point. As much as I'd love a wide-reaching tram network, Omaha isn't laid out to easily do it, and its voter base isn't going to pay to brute force it. Pushing for a tram network or proper light rail (which has the same issues) isn't going to have a good return on effort. (but then again I said the same thing about the streetcar, so I'll 100% support it if one of y'all get it approved)
There are a few logical extensions for the current streetcar (Millwork Common, zoo), but after those we'd be better served building out more ORBT lines and express busses, and otherwise improve the local bus network.
Garrett wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2026 9:05 am
"Won't" and "Isn't willing to" are two distinct concepts.
It gets us to the same point. As much as I'd love a wide-reaching tram network, Omaha isn't laid out to easily do it, and its voter base isn't going to pay to brute force it. Pushing for a tram network or proper light rail (which has the same issues) isn't going to have a good return on effort. (but then again I said the same thing about the streetcar, so I'll 100% support it if one of y'all get it approved)
There are a few logical extensions for the current streetcar (Millwork Common, zoo), but after those we'd be better served building out more ORBT lines and express busses, and otherwise improve the local bus network.
