Police in Creston report the arrest Wednesday at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, of 20-year old James Arthur Franke, of Creston. Franke was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Probation Violation, the original arrest for which was based on a charge of 2nd degree Burglary. Franke was later released from the jail on $1,000 bond.
City leaders in Omaha have, for years, been working on ways to make it easier for pedestrians wanting to cross over the river from Council Bluffs to the northern downtown area of the metro, and now as the city renews focus on developing the riverfront and north downtown, officials are finalizing a bridge’s design and funding. The Daily NonPareil reports a second pedestrian bridge would cement the link between Omaha and Council Bluffs, providing a pathway from Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park to Omaha’s north downtown area.
As it stands now, if you’re next to TD Ameritrade Park for a College World Series game, you can see the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. But getting to it, and to Council Bluffs, is difficult. You can walk all the way up to Abbott Drive or all the way down to Capitol Avenue to connect to Riverfront Drive. Then those streets wrap around to the bridge.
In the works is a connector bridge that would run from Mike Fahey Street in north downtown, cross railroad tracks and tie in with the pedestrian bridge. Derek Miller, Omaha’s transportation planner, said the $3.5 million to $4.5 million bridge is set to be built in 2018 and 2019. Some of the money will come from a federal grant and city capital improvement funds. Miller said the city plans to solicit private donations for the rest — about $1.5 million.
Officials from Council Bluffs and Omaha both have made the riverfront a renewed priority. In the past six months, groups of outside experts from the Urban Land Institute have twice come to Omaha to study the riverfront and north downtown. Those experts said they were impressed with the pedestrian bridge — but noted its inaccessibility. Miller said the city has intended to build the connector as long as the bridge has been in place. Officials on both sides of the river say they’re excited.
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