Dear friend,
Over the years, certain areas in Omaha have suffered from a lack of attention and upkeep. One of these is North 24th Street. Located just north of Creighton University, North 24th Street was seen as the most important business district in downtown Omaha until the mid-20th century. Hotels, stores, and offices lined the street as it became a hub for African Americans, Jews, and many European immigrants. However, beginning in 1919, the City of Omaha neglected the infrastructure on North 24th Street. Fueled by explicit racism, white Omahans began to move elsewhere. North 24th Street became the center of Omaha’s civil rights movement, a bustling neighborhood of political activity. After a series of fires, bombings, and riots in the 1960s, the street was never able to fully recover, and infrastructure became increasingly outdated.
Infrastructure has proven to be our best chance for bipartisanship. Americans want improved safety and efficiency, and it is my job in Congress to reach across the aisle to find these solutions. It is vital that we seek to improve places like North 24th Street, the historically redlined and disinvested parts of Nebraska. That’s why I worked to secure over $11 million in federal funding to restore North 24th Street in H.R. 4366, H.R. 2617, and H.R. 2471. In addition, I supported H.R. 3684, the bipartisan “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”, which allocated the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency $750,000 to support the project. These improvements include enhanced sidewalks, lighting, traffic, landscaping, parking, and transportation options. Widened sidewalks will encourage more foot traffic, transit stops will bring more people to the area, and landscaping will make it more attractive to business owners.
I am committed to working with community leaders on projects like North 24th Street. I have worked to secure federal resources through the CHOICE neighborhood grant program, which awarded $25 million to the City of Omaha and Omaha Housing Authority. This award helped redevelop distressed housing and build more homes to lower housing costs. CHOICE strives to improve the lives of families who face income, educational, and health disparities. This vital funding has brought private investment to these neighborhoods and increased resident incomes, in some cases doubling them.
Nebraskans rely on dependable infrastructure to create thriving business communities. Supporting the revival of North 24th Street is a step in the right direction to reducing disparities in Omaha. With these improvements, North 24th Street will act as a catalyst for economic and cultural renewal.
I am proud to represent Nebraska’s Second District and support projects that benefit its citizens. As always, if you need help with a federal agency or have any questions, please contact me here or my office at (402) 938-0300.
