HDR has been named the ACEC Nebraska Engineering Excellence Award (EEA) Grand Award winner for 2024 for their Omaha RiverFront Revitalization Project.
For nearly 60 years, three parks in downtown Omaha emphasized leisure and open space. Unfortunately, their disjointed nature, poor access, lack of amenities, and inadequate recreational opportunities left them minimally used.
The RiverFront Revitalization Project transformed these underutilized parks into a unified, amenity-rich open space, anchored by the Missouri River creating a 72-acre, one-of-a-kind park that has unified the Omaha area.
The new design raised a former sunken lagoon; added spacious lawns and performance pavilions, play areas, a skate ribbon, an urban beach, public art and other amenities; improved multimodal transportation; expanded the trail network; reconnected entertainment districts; and restored the park’s character. With a unique governance structure, the project was developed by and for the community with flexibility to adapt programming to future needs.
The project is Nebraska’s first Envision project, verified Platinum. The team’s environmental efforts reduced water use, created and repurposed topsoil, improved habitats, and protected cultural resources. At the same time, it’s spurring an economic resurgence across downtown Omaha. Since its planning, more than $4 billion in projects have been planned or announced.
The project overcame seemingly insurmountable odds – centuries of buried infrastructure, built atop a superfund site and alongside North America’s longest river, more than 75 NRHP properties located nearby, a global pandemic, and dozens of projects stakeholders.
Completed on schedule and within budget, The RiverFront is a testament to what unique engineering solutions can accomplish. It is a beacon of light for a community and an exemplar for the future of civic design.