For immediate release Contact: Amy Gilroy, Activate Omaha
6/22/05 402 - 934-5923
Omaha Bicycle Pedaler President Rides for Awareness
Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey welcomed Stephen Schnitker, Omaha Pedaler Bicycle Club President, home from a 14 hour bike ride from Des Moines at the Lewis and Clark Landing Thursday June 23rd at 11:00am. Schnitker, in honor of the 4th Annual National Mayors' Ride sponsored by the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG), rode to create awareness about connecting the city of Omaha for bicyclists. Mayor Fahey congratulated Schnitker with a proclamation declaring June 23rd
Omaha NBG Day. The Mayor wasn't the sole supporter- community organizations, government agencies, and bicyclists gathered to help celebrate Shnitker's achievement; including representatives from ACT!vate Omaha, Papio- Missouri River National Resources District, National Park Service, Omaha by Design, and Omaha Pedalers Bicycle Club.
Efforts from these organizations are underway in Omaha to create safe accessible places for bicyclists including expanding trail systems, education campaigns, and green space improvements. Lewis and Clark Landing is also the site for the proposed Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge.
For immediate release Contact: Amy Gilroy - Activate Omaha
6/22/05 402 - 934-5923
City Leaders to honor Omaha Bike Club President
On June 23rd, 11:00 am at the Lewis and Clark Landing, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will welcome Omaha Pedalers cycling club president, Stephen Schnitkner, who will have bicycled in from Des Moines, Iowa, one stop on the 4th Annual National Mayors' Ride. Thursday's event, part of a ride, which visits 52 other major cities, will help the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) bring nationwide attention to Omaha's massive trail network and the city's bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Upon completion, the bridge will be the first to connect the cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, along with Iowa and Nebraska.
After National Bicycle Greenway director, Martin Krieg, learned from Mayor Fahey that Omaha has 90 miles of concrete bike trails running through the city, Krieg resolved to find out more so he could tell his national bicycle audience about it. In doing so he learned that Omaha has all the ingredients needed to make it one of America's top cycling cities.
"Not only are the trails there but so are the grassroots organizations that can help make them part of a transportation network that replaces car trips," says Krieg. Armed with a Mayor who jogs and cycles, a zealous Convention and Visitors Bureau, lifelong bike advocates and various nonprofits that have improved Omahans' quality of life, indeed everything is in place to turn Omaha into bicycle heaven.
On the edge of the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark Landing was chosen as the event site for Omaha's 4th annual NBG Day because that is where the precedent setting bridge leaves Nebraska soil. Mayor Fahey will issue a ceremonial proclamation, designating June 23rd as "Omaha NBG Day." Representatives from Activate Omaha, the PAPIO Missouri River Natural Resource District, Omaha by Design and Visit Omaha will also provide commentary about what they are doing to make Omaha a better place to ride a bike.
More info:
WoW Don!! This is awesome. I am passing it along to the Omaha city leaders we are working with for tomorrow's Omaha NBG Day!! As well I plan to link this to your Cincinnati NBG Day at: http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/2005East-West.html#Anchor-Cincinnati-46384
THX 4 U!!
At 10:26 AM -0400 6/22/05, Don Burrell wrote:
Martin:
Glad you're keeping me inthe loop for the NBG ride progress.
I'm interested in the Omaha bike ped bridge and will search for some more info on it. But, attached is an article about Cincinnati's Purple People Bridge, a reconditioned highway and railroad bridge reconditioned by the Ky transportation cabinet and a private group , Southbank Partners, for exclusive bike / ped use. It was the downtown river crossing I used to route the NBG team thru town in 2004 and 2005.
Best of luck with your project.
Don Burrell, AICP, Senior Planner
Bicycle / Pedestrian Coordinator
OKI Regional Council of Governments
720 East Pete Rose Way, Suite 420
Cincinnati, OH 45202-3576
513-621-6300
513-621-9325 - fax
dburrell@oki.org
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Meet the Purple People Bridge
One-of-a-kind crossing to open Saturday
By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT - Of the nine bridges crossing the Ohio River at Cincinnati, only one is purple. Starting Saturday, it will be the only one just for people, too.
Newport Southbank Bridge, the "Purple People Bridge," connects Pete Rose Way in Cincinnati to Third Street in Newport
(Ernest Coleman photo)
| ZOOM |
After a $4 million restoration, the former L&N Railroad Bridge between Newport and Cincinnati will reopen as a pedestrian walkway. Officially named the Newport Southbank Bridge, the "Purple People Bridge" will be the longest connector of its kind in the country that links two states.
"Everybody has already been calling it the Purple People Bridge," says Wally Pagan, president of Newport-based Southbank Partners, a non-profit group promoting economic development in Northern Kentucky's river cities.
"Because of the color, it's a name that is going to stick."
The bridge - it's 2,670 feet, or just over a half a mile long - has been redesigned to provide an easy way for people to move between the two states. It also could link the riverfronts of Ohio and Kentucky in a seamless collection of entertainment, dining, nightlife, festivals, parks, attractions and more that could bring hundreds of thousands to the river's edge. It's a vision officials on both sides of the Ohio have pursued for years.
"The purple bridge will help bring people back and forth between Ohio and Kentucky," said Anastasia Mileham, vice president of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., which promotes downtown commerce and development. "Nothing else like it exists in this area. It's what regionalism is all about."
Within a 20-minutewalk from either side of the bridge you can:
. Watch the Reds or Bengals at Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium.
. Grab dinner at a range of restaurants, from the five-star Maisonette and Montgomery Inn Boathouse to Jeff Ruby's Tropicana and the German-themed Hofbrauhaus in Newport.
. Shop at something as exclusive as Tiffany & Co. near Fountain Square to something as fun as the Wacky Bear Factory in Newport.
. Have a picnic at Cincinnati's Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove or along the floodwall in Newport.
. Catch a concert at the US Bank Arena or a movie at the 20-screen cinema at Newport on the Levee.
. Tour the Newport Aquarium or the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center near the Roebling Suspension Bridge when it opens next year.
The Purple People Bridge marks the first time in Greater Cincinnati's modern history that a span is dedicated exclusively to pedestrian traffic. It will bring two of the Tristate's most important entities - downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's river cities - even closer together, officials say.
"It's a very exciting and unique way to cross the river more freely and easily and it helps everybody by bringing people to the entertainment, parks and other attractions and areas on both sides of the river," says David Pepper, a Cincinnati City councilman.
At 17 feet wide, the bridge probably isn't wide enough to host festivals and other events. But the approaches on both sides of the river can host events, festivals and private gatherings, Pagan says.
On the Ohio side, the bridge begins on Pete Rose Way near the entrance to Sawyer Point. In Kentucky, the bridge drops onto Third Street in Newport, just east of Newport on the Levee.
No other bridge in the region will be like it.
Developers say they have transformed a rickety structure that hasn't been used by trains, vehicles or people since 2001 into a new community icon.
They want the bridge to be used by strolling romantics, energetic skaters, fun-seeking families and suburbanites wanting to establish ties to the muddy Ohio River.
Its official opening comes Saturday. That's when several thousand people will cross it in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The 8 a.m. race to raise money for breast cancer research will be the first public event on the new bridge. A private kickoff party Friday night will raise money for the bridge's maintenance fund.
The bridge will be outfitted with park benches, wrought-iron handrails, gooseneck streetlights, security cameras, call boxes for emergencies and trashcans.
There will be lanes for walkers, bikers and in-line skaters.
Lights may be eventually strung on the trusses, but with a price tag of $800,000 that part of the project will have to wait on more state or private funding, Pagan says.
The bridge is expected to be a magnet for people.
"People used to get off work, open a beer and sit in front of the TV," says Raymond Buse, spokesman for the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. "Now, young professionals and creative people who have been sitting in an office or a cubicle all day want to get out for informal recreational opportunities. The bridge will provide those opportunities while connecting all the dots between the two states when it comes to all the projects and activity taking place along both riverfronts."
Burke Lofland, 20, of Fort Thomas, said he and his friends often go to Newport on the Levee and are looking forward to checking out the purple bridge.
"It sounds like it is going to be pretty cool," says Lofland, a political science student at Northern Kentucky University. "You'll be outside and you can get out and walk across the bridge instead of driving. People are probably really going to like it."
A new tourism tool
The bridge's party potential will become part of the marketing campaign used by Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"It's another attraction to the area," says Sheree Allgood, the bureau's communications director. "Our sales force is using it as a place for receptions and special events for the conventions that come to town."
And while locals certainly know how the river separates two states, out-of-towners could care less. They are just looking for fun places to visit, and the bridge will make it easier to do that, says Julie Calvert, vice president of communications for the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Our research shows that convention groups and leisure visitors don't really know where the boundary is between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky," she says. "The bridge is going to create an environment where people can just take a nice walk across the river and enjoy a lot of the development that has happened in Kentucky. The bridge bodes very well for helping bring people to town."
Though work is still being done on the Cincinnati approach, enough of the job will be completed in time for the opening, says Cincinnati city architect Bob Richardson.
"The Cincinnati side will be consistent with what Kentucky has done on its side of the bridge," Richardson says. Lighting, traffic barriers to prevent cars from entering the bridge and an improved apron that will serve as a commons for gatherings will be included on the Ohio side.
Projects such as the bridge could help the city and the region attract young professionals, Buse says. That's a big concern for the city, which has seen a "flight" of the young creative class in the last decade.
A return to the past
There have been plenty of attempts to link Ohio and Kentucky through some mode of transportation.
Ideas have ranged from water taxis - such as the one operating now for Reds games between Covington and Cincinnati - to monorails and trams to individual people movers that Pagan described as "something out of The Jetsons."
Most were too expensive, too difficult or too far-fetched to pursue.
"That's why we really are excited about the bridge," Newport City Commissioner Jerry "Rex" Peluso says. "It's a new idea but it goes back to the very first method of bringing the areas together, bridges over the Ohio River."
At the urging of Kentucky House Majority Caucus Chairman Jim Callahan, Kentucky legislators agreed to spend $4 million in 2000 to restore and paint the span, which was jointly controlled by the state and CSX Railroad.
CSX donated its portion of the bridge to Newport. The city will transfer ownership of the updated bridge to a new corporation, the Newport Southbank Bridge Co.
That firm will own and operate the bridge and oversee its maintenance. The company's board members will include members of Southbank and representatives of the city of Newport and possibly Cincinnati.
E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com
For immediate release Contact: Amy Gilroy
6/22/05 402 - 934-5923
Mayor Fahey to show why Omaha can be a top US Biking City
On June 23rd, 11:00 am at the Lewis and Clark Landing, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will welcome Omaha Pedalers cycling club president, Stephen Schnitkner, who will have bicycled in from Des Moines, Iowa, one stop on the 4th Annual National Mayors' Ride. Thursday's event, part of a ride, which visits 52 other major cities, will help the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) bring nationwide attention to Omaha's massive trail network and the city's bicycle/pedestrian bridge. Upon completion, the bridge will be the first to connect the cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, along with Iowa and Nebraska.
After National Bicycle Greenway director, Martin Krieg, learned from Mayor Fahey that Omaha has 90 miles of concrete bike trails running through the city, Krieg resolved to find out more so he could tell his national bicycle audience about it. In doing so he learned that Omaha has all the ingredients needed to make it one of America's top cycling cities.
"Not only are the trails there but so are the grassroots organizations that can help make them part of a transportation network that replaces car trips," says Krieg. Armed with a Mayor who jogs and cycles, a zealous Convention and Visitors Bureau, lifelong bike advocates and various nonprofits that have improved Omahans' quality of life, indeed everything is in place to turn Omaha into bicycle heaven.
On the edge of the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark Landing was chosen as the event site for Omaha's 4th annual NBG Day because that is where the precedent setting bridge leaves Nebraska soil. Mayor Fahey will issue a ceremonial proclamation, designating June 23rd as "Omaha NBG Day." Representatives from Activate Omaha, the PAPIO Missouri River Natural Resource District, Omaha by Design and Visit Omaha will also provide commentary about what they are doing to make Omaha a better place to ride a bike.
More info:
Over the weekend here, we did a groundbreaking interview with a man who is doing more to change the landscape of America in a way that is self sustainable than any man alive. In redoing our interview with Ray Irvin, a man widely known as Mr Greenway, we were able to quadruple the size of the wisdom he shared with us. Filled with new information and alive with hope for an America that builds bridges instead of walls, this powerful podcast can be found at:
http://www.radio4all.net/pub/files/NBG@bikeroute.com/1680-1-20050618-RayIrvin6-18-05Best.mp3
In it Ray talks about an attraction, a city wide Greenway system, that will:
- Bring tourists and new businesses to your city
- Draw the dynamic creative energy of a new work force to your city, the new Creative Class that Richard Florida talks bout in his book "The Rise of the Creative Class" http://www.creativeclass.org
- Provide for a wholesome family activity
- Give the working class and service industries mobility that does not contribute to the gridlock problems most cities face
- Pay for itself
- Offer cities a way to locate their infrastructure so they don't have tear it up each time its gas, water cable or fiber optics lines are serviced or augmented
- Help to keep your neighbors and friends healthy
As such, once we soon get it transcribed, it can be written as an advisory that can be be titled: "Attn: Urban Planners and City Fathers and Mothers all over America, looking for a coast effective way to revitalize your city?"
For more info about how Ray's Greenways have truly brought new vitality to what was once the dying Rust Belt city of Indianapolis, see: http://indygreeways.org
In other Greenway news, keep your eye on http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/2005East-West.html
as soon we will have pictures and a report on Friday's Des Moines NBG Day. That completed, the president of Omaha Pedalers is now on his way from there to Omaha, a city rising to the Richard Florida challenge talked about above as as per the following news release:
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Omaha Bike club Prez to Help Showcase Omaha's Bike Assets
Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey will be at Lewis and Clark Landing on June 23rd at 11 AM to welcome Omaha Pedalers bike club president, Stephen Schnitkner, who will have bicycled in from Des Moines as a part of the 4th Annual National Mayors' Ride which visits 52 other major cities this year. Stephen's ride will help the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) bring national attention to Omaha's massive trail network and to the bicycle/pedestrian bridge that will, when it is completed, be the first to connect two major cities, Omaha and Council Bluffs, and two states, Iowa and Nebraska.
Last year, when Mayor Fahey told National Bicycle Greenway director, Martin Krieg that Omaha has 90 miles of concrete bike trails running through the city, Krieg resolved to learn more so he could tell his national bicycle audience about it. In doing so he learned that Omaha has all the ingredients needed to make it one of America's top biking cities.
"Not only are the trails there but so are the grassroots organizations that can help make them part of a transportation network that replaces car trips," says Krieg. Armed with a Mayor who runs and bikes, a zealous Convention and Visitors Bureau, life seasoned bike activists and several results producing nonprofits geared toward improving the quality of life for Omahans, indeed everything is in place to turn Omaha into bicycle heaven.
Lewis and Clark Landing, at the edge of the Missouri River was chosen as the site for this year's fourth annual Omaha NBG Day because that is where the precedent setting bridge that Omaha will soon be famous for, leaves Nebraska soil. At the ceremony, the Mayor will issue a proclamation making June 23 Omaha NBG Day and representatives from a handful of different Omaha promoting organizations including Activate Omaha, the PAPIO Missouri River Natural Resource District , Omaha by Design and Visit Omaha, will talk about what they are doing to make Omaha a better place to ride a bike.
More info: http://www.bikeroute.com
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Can U feel the Greenway energy? It's catching on everywhere!!
Too exciting!!