NORTH OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The first phase of the North Omaha Trail, taking it from 30th and Sprague to 24th and Ohio Streets, finished in 2022.
Phase two, still three years from completion, will extend the trail downtown to the Baby Bob Bridge. Next up are phases three and four.
“Phase three is going to start from [24th and Ohio] and go to Elmwood Park and phase four is going to start from downtown and loop all the way back and connecting the trail to a circular system,” said Buey Ray Tut, CEO of Spark.
One of the goals of the project, spearheaded by the non-profit Spark, is improving North Omaha’s quality of life.
“That is an area of town where we know heat maps are outside and it is a problem for climate change and for heat throughout the community,” said Omaha City Councilman Peter Festersen.
In a preliminary report by UNMC, North Omaha is an urban heat island, making it hotter than other parts of the city due to pavement and lack of shade. There’s also air quality concerns.
At the end of phase one, new trees were planted alongside the trail to change that.
“If you’re looking at the heat island effect, one of the greatest contributors is the absence of trees. Wherefore by planting trees kind of helps mitigate that issue,” said Tut.
Spark is also hoping to fix the problem through a $20 million community change grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
On Tuesday, Omaha City Council approved a resolution partnering with Spark for the application.
“It’s consistent with a resolution the city council passed a month ago to seek these funding opportunities for not only trail improvements but also climate action resiliency,” said Councilman Festersen.
There’s also potential future phases of the trail.
“Engaging community members, engaging community partners is critical because we want what the community needs. Not what we’re wanting to bring,” Tut told 6 News.
Spark will learn early next year if they will receive the grant. If they get it, they’ll have three years to get the trail finished. One the trail is done, the City of Omaha will maintain it.
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