Bob Kerrey’s name urged for new Omaha bridge

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By The Associated Press

OMAHA — Put Bob Kerrey’s name on it.

That’s the recommendation of a committee charged with finding names for the new Missouri River pedestrian bridge.

The $22 million suspension bridge span soars between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb., linking trails in both states.

Kerrey, a former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator, had secured $18 million in federal funding. The bridge was envisioned as an architectural signature for Kerrey’s “Back to the River” campaign.

The Council Bluffs council members will vote Monday on the recommendation, followed by the Omaha council’s vote on Tuesday.

The bridge’s official opening is expected in the next few weeks.

The span has been derided in some quarters as a pork-barrel extravagance.