Omaha’s urban landscape is evolving, and at the heart of this transformation is the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Campus Expansion & City of Omaha Saddle Creek Infrastructure Project. This ambitious initiative is reshaping critical infrastructure, ensuring the city’s roadways, utilities, and pedestrian systems can support both immediate development and future urban growth.

As a key player in this project, Valley Corporation is leveraging its expertise in heavy civil construction to execute essential infrastructure upgrades, reinforcing Omaha’s commitment to modernization and sustainability.

Project Overview: Enhancing Omaha’s Urban Core

Spanning multiple key locations, the project is a multi-faceted effort to enhance roadways, utility networks, and pedestrian pathways. The primary work areas include:

• Farnam Street (47th to 45th Street)
• 46th Street (Farnam to Leavenworth)
• Leavenworth Street & Saddle Creek Road Intersection

Valley Corporation’s scope of work includes utility relocations, storm and sanitary sewer installations, roadway enhancements, and pedestrian-friendly improvements. These upgrades are not only facilitating the UNMC expansion but also improving the surrounding transportation network, making the area safer and more efficient for residents, businesses, and commuters.

“I credit the success of the project to the constant communication between UNMC, the City of Omaha, Olsson Engineering, Benesch Engineering, OPPD, and MUD, said Tim Mollner, Valley Corp’s project superintendent. “Every project encounters challenges throughout the process and this project was no different. The ability to solve these problems in a timely manner ensured that Valley Corp could maintain our schedule and the commitment of our employees ensured that the job was done safely.”

Breaking Down the Construction Work

Valley Corp self-performed 90% of this project, demonstrating our ability to handle a wide range of infrastructure tasks efficiently. By managing nearly every aspect of the work in-house, we maintained flexibility to adapt to evolving project needs, ensuring we stayed on schedule—even when unexpected challenges threatened potential delays.

Street Lighting & Signalization

• Removing outdated street lighting and signals to make way for a new 4-way intersection signal system featuring 10 mast arm poles and modernized traffic control technology.
• Installing new decorative street lighting and roadway illumination to enhance safety and visibility.

Structural & Environmental Considerations

• Clearing and grubbing the site, including the removal of 20 trees and existing storm sewer structures.
• Implementing erosion control measures to minimize environmental impact during construction.

Navigating Challenges & Providing Solutions

Urban infrastructure projects come with unique obstacles, and this project is no exception. Valley Corporation has successfully tackled:

• Phased Construction in a High-Traffic Area – Managing live traffic, business access, and pedestrian detours without disrupting daily activity.
• Utility Conflicts & Relocations – Adjusting designs and construction methods to accommodate undocumented or misaligned underground utilities.
• Supply Chain & Material Availability – Pre-purchasing critical materials and using stored resources to avoid delays. 

Project Metrics

• 54,000 SY of pavement removed
• 30,169 CY of earthwork completed
• 2,967 LF of storm sewer installed
• 17,788 SY of aggregate base course placed
• 1,850 LF of new OPPD transmission duct bank built
• 2,336 LF of new MUD water main installed

Changes were primarily driven by expanded scope requests from the City of Omaha and UNMC, including additional paving and erosion control, temporary lighting solutions for UNMC facilities, utility conflict resolutions, and traffic control modifications.