What’s the big deal?

Omaha has always been a great place to live but over the past decade Omaha has been on a roll! New developments and expansions in Downtown, Midtown, the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), and the Crossroads and Aksarben Village areas have created a vibrant urban community that demonstrates the potential for our City’s urban core.

However, without improved transit and mobility connections linking these great places to each other, and the rest of the City, Omaha will be hampered in its efforts to attract economic development and become a truly livable community. The Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis is the first step in identifying transit options that will provide a safe, efficient, economical, attractive, and integrated transit system that offers convenient, accessible, and affordable mobility within Omaha’s urban core.

The Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis is a partnership with Metro and the City of Omaha to develop and evaluate potential transit alternatives in the corridor between Downtown Omaha, Midtown Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), and the Crossroads and Aksarben Village areas. This study will analyze the mobility needs in the area, and identify and compare the costs, benefits, and impacts of various transit alternatives. At the end of the study, locally preferred transit alternatives will be recommended for future evaluation.

Since the project kicked-off, we have received almost 1600 hits to the project website, read 97 unique transit ideas on OmahaTalksTransit.com, and utilized social media updates that have garnered many followers and friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Process

The study is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete and will include extensive opportunities for public participation. The time needed for implementation will fully depend on the transit alternatives recommended as part of Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis outcome. The project has reached the third of four public meetings planned to develop a locally preferred alternative.

Purpose and Need -> Definition of Alternatives -> Initial Screening -> Final Screening -> Locally Preferred Alternative

The evaluation of potential alternatives and transit technologies includes two phases: Initial Screening and Final Screening.

Initial Screening

The initial screening evaluation analyzes the initial list of alternatives being considered using a set of qualitative evaluation criteria. Its purpose is to eliminate alternatives that have fatal flaws, do not meet project goals, or do not have public support.

Initial Screening Criteria

Final Screening

The alternatives advancing from initial screening are evaluated in more detail in final screening. The final screening evaluation criteria are more quantitative than the initial screening evaluation criteria and identify a Locally Preferred Alternative to serve the Central Omaha Area.

Final Screening Criteria

Goals

The goal of the Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis is to identify a safe, efficient, economical, attractive, and integrated transit system that offers convenient, accessible, and affordable mobility within the study area. The goals are to:

  • Improve mobility within downtown and midtown Omaha.
  • Enhance Omaha’s economic competitiveness and encourage economic development.
  • Maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of local and federal transit investments.
  • Support local and regional land use and development goals and enhance the use of transit-supported land use, planning, and design strategies.
  • Provide a sustainable transit investment that is compatible with the built environment.
  • Provide a transit investment that can be implemented within budget constraints for capital and operating expenses.

Study Area

The approximate study area boundaries are the Missouri River on the east, 72nd Street on the west, Cuming Street on the north, and Center Street on the south.

Project Team

Metro The City of Omaha