OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha considers $500,000 Keystone Trail upgrade to replace eroded retaining walls and improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
- The proposal for the project will go through city council on Tuesday.
- Jeff Quandt, an avid cyclist, believes the improvements are overdue and necessary for safety reasons.
- Construction is anticipated to start later this fall and will wrap up before the new year.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Keystone Trail, Omaha's oldest trail in the metro area system, is set to receive $500,000 in improvements to replace deteriorating retaining walls and enhance safety for users.
The 24-mile trail, which opened in 1990, has become a daily routine for many walkers, runners and cyclists throughout the metro area. The planned improvements will focus on replacing retaining walls at two underpasses near Pacific Street that have reached the end of their lifespan.
"They're reaching the end and they're starting to fall apart so, they do need to be replaced and I'm glad the city is doing this," Jeff Quandt said.
Quandt, an avid cyclist, believes the improvements are overdue and necessary for safety reasons.
"Especially with heavy rains that comes through, you get a lot of mud depositing on the trail and for cyclist, we don't like riding through mud hard or even the soft stuff, because it is dangerous. It is a safety issue," Quandt said.
The Omaha Parks and Recreation Department will replace the existing wood retaining walls with concrete structures. The trails in the affected areas will also be restored as part of the project.
Joe Costanzo, who rides his recumbent bike along the Keystone Trail four times a week, has noticed areas that could benefit from improvements.
"There's a couple places along here that have some bumps but overall they've got a really good system here," Costanzo said.
For cyclists like Quandt, this project represents just the beginning of needed trail improvements throughout the system.
"You know, I'm out in west Omaha and I could point out a couple of places out there that need to have, you know, some attention," Quandt said.
The Parks Department says its 20-year master plan will help determine future projects along other trails in Omaha.
"So, it helps everybody," Quandt said.
Construction is anticipated to start later this fall and will wrap up before the new year.
