| Port of Omaha | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Port of Omaha | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Omaha,Nebraska |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1888 |
ThePort of Omaha was aport in the United States with facilities on the west side of theMissouri River inOmaha, Nebraska. The Port was formally sanctioned by theU.S. Congress in 1888.[1]
Founded immediately on the settlement of Omaha in 1856, the Port of Omaha was surveyed by Benjamin H. Barrows.[2] Originally located at the foot of Davenport Street inDowntown Omaha, in recent years that site has been redeveloped as a boat launch and docking location called Miller's Landing. In addition to originally handling outboundbarge shipments of grain and passenger boats, the Port also handled inbound shipments of steel andasphalt.[3]
Starting in the 1930s theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to channelize the Missouri River, and business leaders in Omaha immediately began clamoring for increasedbarge traffic to the city. In 1937 theOmaha Chamber of Commerce began lobbying theNebraska State Legislature to create a dock authority that could take funds from thePublic Works Administration to support the development of the Port property. TheUnion Pacific Railroad, based in Omaha, supported the move believing it would generate more business for its tracks. In 1938John Latenser, Sr. drew up plans, which were subsequently submitted and denied by the PWA. Subsequent bids to theReconstruction Finance Corporation and theWorks Progress Administration failed as well, leaving the city without adequate docking facilities when barge traffic opened in 1940.[4]
There was once a spur railroad line to the location, and in the 1950s there were plans to develop the site with modern storage buildings and a crane for unloading; however, those plans did not come to fruition.[5]
As part of itsYucca Mountain nuclear waste repository plan, theU.S. Department of Energy proposed using the Port to receive up to 125 barge shipments carrying giant high-level radioactive waste containers up theMissouri River from theCooper Nuclear Station, which is located atBrownville, Nebraska.[6]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)