Omaha has plenty of high-profile development projects underway. This week, we are providing a progress report on the some of the biggest, high-value projects that are changing the face of Omaha.
CHI Health Center Expansion
The CHI Health Convention Center is undergoing a renovation of its existing space while the extension on the east side of the building is under construction. The existing convention center will receive updated wall paneling, acoustical treatments, wainscoting and baseboards. Restrooms will receive updated finishes and toilet partitions.
Additionally, operable partitions will be installed in existing meeting and exhibit rooms to increase acoustical performance. The renovations are part of the $200 million expansion of the convention center. The 94,000 sq. ft. expansion is currently under construction with steel beam framing being installed now. The overall project will be complete by summer 2027.
Eppley Airfield
Progress is moving fast on the Omaha Airport Authority’s $950 million terminal modernization and expansion project at Eppley Airfield. External doors #2 and #4 have recently reopened to the traveling public. The steel framework is being installed for the future central pavilion. That portion of the building will house the combined TSA security area and a mall/food court.
Also in the central pavilion will be Escape Lounge, which will be Eppley’s first airport lounge when it opens in 2027. Escape Lounges is based in Manchester, United Kingdom, and has 20 locations in the United States along with five in U.K. and two in Australia. The closest existing locations are at airports in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Northwest Arkansas and Tulsa, Okla.
Mutual of Omaha Tower
Exterior glass paneling continues to climb upward on Mutual of Omaha’s tower at 14th & Farnam Street downtown. The steel frame will be completed before the end of this year. At that time, most of the exterior panels will also be in place. The tower is being developed by Lanoha Development. Though it won’t be fully completed until late 2026, the 44-story tower is already the tallest building in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and South Dakota. The final height will be 677 feet, while the final size will be 800,000 sq. ft.
Streetcar
Massive utility work is now underway along most of the future streetcar route that will connect downtown with the Blackstone District and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The utility work is causing a great deal of disruption for residents and business owners, but it is necessary to allow for actual streetcar tracks to be installed starting next year.
We have some milestone dates to report. The rebuilt Harney Street bridge over Interstate 480 is scheduled to reopen November 26th. The Farnam Street bridge is scheduled to be demolished on January 4th. It will be rebuilt with a completion date of about a year from now. On November 14th, walls will start going vertical on the future Vehicle Maintenance Facility under construction on part of the CHI Health Center’s parking lot A. The first actual tracks to be installed early next year will most likely be located near 8th & Douglas Street or 10th & Capitol Avenue.
Project Health
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents last month approved the second design phase for Project Health, a transformational academic health care facility that will be based on the Omaha campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine.
The project, the first phase of the larger Project NExT initiative, will serve as a state-of-the-art clinical learning center to educate and train future health care providers, conduct cutting-edge research and expand access to clinical trials.
The regent action authorizes construction of the shell and core of the facility. This work amounts to about $1.22 billion of the entire $2.19 billion project. Initial design phase approval, granted in April 2025, allowed for site preparation and foundational work to begin.
A planned third phase, which also would require regental approval, would be necessary to complete the project. Funding for the project comes from several sources: philanthropy, the state of Nebraska; the city of Omaha; the university and Nebraska Medicine; and private financing.
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