Fort Kearny trail bridge re-open after several major upgrades
New viewing platforms and improved decking enhance safety and wildlife watching
KEARNEY, Neb. — The south bridge on Fort Kearny State Recreation Area’s hike-bike trail recently re-opened after a major renovation, giving visitors safer access and new spots to view the Platte River.
The project replaced the bridge’s decking and railings and added eight new observation platforms to improve safety and provide expanded opportunities for wildlife watching along the river corridor.
The bridge is part of a 13.1-mile paved hike-bike trail connecting Fort Kearny to Cottonmill Park in Kearney.
The trail serves walkers, runners and cyclists, offering a recreational connection between state and local park resources.
Fort Kearny Superintendent Gene Hunt, who has worked in the area since 1972, says the improvements make a big difference for visitors.
“This is making it so much easier for people to go on to the observation deck,” said Hunt. “It’s going to make observations easier to do, and it’s definitely more comfortable and safer.”
Hunt added that the additional platforms help keep wildlife watchers off the main trail, where bicyclists often ride.
“What’s really nice is that we added eight more observation decks, so it’s a much safer bridge to use now because there is a lot of traffic that uses the bridge coming and going,” he said. “With the new observation decks, it’s going to be a much more safer place to watch the birds and the wildlife.”
The original railroad bridge was built across the Platte River in 1871 and converted into a hike-bike trail in the early 1980s, which is the last time the decking had been replaced.
Funding for the roughly $400,000 project came from a $250,000 federal Recreational Trails Program grant, Nebraska Game and Parks’ Capital Maintenance Funds, and $13,000 from the annual Vanderheiden Memorial Run donation.
Hunt says the trail is used year-round, with peak traffic in March during the sandhill crane migration.
“Since we joined with Cotton Mill, there’s people using the trail every day all year long. We’ll have lots and lots of folks using this bridge to observe the sandhill cranes coming into the river at night and then leaving in the morning,” said Hunt.