Proposed streetcar system would go by new stadium

With a new stadium to replace Rosenblatt Stadium all but a done deal, the big concern for College World Series fans might be centered around parking.

While parking at Rosenblatt Stadium is nothing short of a nightmare -- unless you want to pay $20 to park in somebody's back yard -- the situation at a new stadium will be helped with more available spaces and could be further improved with a streetcar system that is being touted by Mayor Mike Fahey.

Fahey has plans to build a $55 million streetcar loop that would run through the Old Market, the north downtown area and Creighton University. The proposed loop would also bring the streetcar near the front entrance of the new stadium.

It's an idea Fahey has proposed several times, and he actually received a privately-funded proposal in 2006, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Fahey tabled the idea to spend more time securing a long-term agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha, which resulted in the proposed new stadium that has resulted in a minimum 20-year agreement for the NCAA to continue using Omaha as the host site for the College World Series.

There are a number of hoops that must be cleared before this streetcar system becomes a reality, including how a system would be funded. The streetcar loop would be built into current traffic lanes on streets along the proposed route, and vehicles could still use the lane for traffic.