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Vehicle Maintenance Facility keeps Omaha’s streetcar on the move
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Picture the Omaha streetcar’s Vehicle Maintenance Facility as the home base of the system.
Inside the facility, activity will include daily cleaning, servicing and routine maintenance of the streetcars across three bays — two for maintenance and repair and one for washing the vehicles. The building will also house staff offices and the streetcar's operations command center.
Streetcar track will run directly to the facility, allowing vehicles to enter maintenance bays and a storage area.
The facility will be constructed east of 8th Street along Riverfront Drive in the southern most part of the CHI Health Center’s Lot A parking lot. The facility plan accommodates a fleet of up to 10-12 vehicles for maintenance and will house up to six at any given time. Omaha is initially purchasing six vehicles for the streetcar system.
In the service and inspection bay, workers will be able to access the undercarriage of the vehicles through a maintenance pit, similar to ones used for oil changes in auto shops. The bay also has a mezzanine, which allows for rooftop access to the vehicles, as well as a bridge crane to remove equipment from the roof of each vehicle and place it in an upper-level work area.
In the repair bay, lifts can be used to raise a vehicle to remove the wheel assemblies for routine maintenance. The wash bay is an enclosed area with equipment like pressure washers.
To access the facility, a streetcar track will divert from the main service track on 8th Street and run alongside Riverfront Drive. Once inside the facility’s yard, the track splits into four tracks, three of which enter maintenance bays. The fourth track will be used for vehicle storage in the yard outside the facility.
Crews are currently conducting underground utilities work on the site. Construction of the building is scheduled to begin in the coming months.
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Harney Street bridge construction
Beginning Monday, Feb. 3, the Harney Street bridge over Interstate 480 will close for demolition and reconstruction until December 2025.
Three lanes on I-480 will remain open to traffic in both directions throughout the project, except during periodic weekend closures of I-480. The first closure is expected in February. There will be advance notice of these closures and signed detour routes.
The I-480 exit ramp onto eastbound Harney will remain open to traffic coming into downtown Omaha. Traffic from midtown to downtown on Harney can use southbound 29th Street to access the Leavenworth Street bridge to cross I-480. Exits at Leavenworth Street and 20th Street will provide alternative routes into the downtown area. Eastbound traffic can also use Douglas Street to cross the interstate to downtown.
Utility work will require the occasional closure of the Harney and Farnam intersections at 28th and 29th streets, and the entrance and exit ramps to I-480. All road closures will be announced in advance.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation has identified multiple downtown bridges as in need of reconstruction in the near future. The streetcar accelerated the reconstruction schedule to begin with the Harney Street bridge. Reconstruction of the Farnam Street bridge will follow in 2026 upon the reopening of the Harney Street bridge.
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Heartland Bike Share station temporarily removed
Earlier this month, Heartland Bike Share temporarily removed a station near 31st and Farnam streets to allow for utilities work related to the streetcar. Riders can access nearby stations at 34th and Farnam streets and at Dewey Park near Harney Street and Turner Boulevard.
Learn more about Heartland Bike Share and find a station map at heartlandbikeshare.org.
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Business Spotlight
There are dozens of amazing businesses along Omaha’s future streetcar line: trendy shops, delicious restaurants, old-school bars and everything in between. Each month, we’ll highlight a few businesses along the route. As construction gets underway, please consider supporting these important neighborhood establishments!
Cold Stone Creamery & Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
3220 Farnam St. Ste. 2107
coldstonecreamery.com
It's never too cold for a sweet treat! Cold Stone Creamery & Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is one of Midtown Crossing's original tenants. Their ice cream, waffle cones, cakes and caramel apples are made fresh in store. Each flavor is churned with the finest ingredients and mixed with your choice of candy, cakes, fruits or nuts on a frozen granite stone.
Nite Owl
3902 Farnam St.
niteowlomaha.com
All nite is all right at Nite Owl, a cornerstone of Blackstone that serves carefully curated cocktails and bold twists on bar food favs like burgers, wings, tot-chos and more. Stop by to check out the cool decor, movie projector and sunken bar. Happy hour deals run daily through 7 p.m.
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Activity along the route
OPPD, M.U.D., Omaha Public Works and other utilities continue to relocate services in the urban core to prepare for streetcar construction. Businesses remain accessible during construction.
View our construction and traffic impacts map that provides detailed information about expected construction impacts along the corridor, within a given neighborhood, and down to the front door of a given business or property.
The City of Omaha Public Works Department and other streetcar partners are hosting monthly virtual construction update webinars to discuss construction and answer questions. Watch January’s webinar here.
Register for the Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, webinar here.
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Board meeting brief
In January, the Omaha Streetcar Authority board approved a $26.7 million contract with Lincoln-based Sampson Construction to construct the Vehicle Maintenance Facility.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
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Answers to your questions
We know the community has questions. We continue to update the FAQ section on our website when we receive questions. We’ve received hundreds of comments through our website so far, and we invite you to submit more questions. Here is a common question:
Are the streetcar tracks embedded into the street?
Yes, all rails will be embedded in a concrete track slab, so crossing over the tracks will be smooth. The rails will sit slightly raised above the concrete, and there will be a gap adjacent to the steel rails for the wheel rim of the vehicle to pass. The gaps for the wheel rim will meet ADA requirements.
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