The Ehrhart Griffin & Associates (EGA) lead team was selected for the design of this multi-phase X.X-mile urban pedestrian trail. EGA was responsible for navigating interactions between various agencies, stakeholders, and the community, including the City of Omaha Public Works Department, Omaha Parks Department, and the Papio Missouri River Natural Resource Department.
The trail is located along the former Belt Line railroad right-of-way in North Omaha area from approximately Hamilton Street at Military Ave to John A Creighton Blvd at Sprague Street. Neighborhood development and functional integrity were key design considera-tions for the Beltline Trail. The trail was designed to advance the development and value of its neighborhood by connecting key community destinations together, including the Franklin School, Adams Park, the Malcolm X Foundation Center, and many more. The design of the trail also required extensive focus on safety due to the multiple urban area street crossings, which required complying with ADA ramp requirements.
Engineering services during the design stage included storm runoff analysis, utility coor-dination, drainage system and erosion and sediment control design, as well as the prep-aration of the application for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. Ehrhart Griffin & Associates also performed the topographic survey for the project.
Ehrhart Griffin & Associates was selected as the construction manager during construction of the trail. Services included contract preparation, construction staking, resident construction observation, materials testing, daily and weekly reporting and the prepara-tion and verification of pay applications. Construction for Phase 1 of this project was completed in the spring of 2017, construction for Phase 2 underway, and the design for Phase 3 is currently underway with construction scheduled to start in 2024.
