Catching Air on the Keystone

Earlier this week I was able to catch some big air while riding on the Keystone Trail just north of Blondo. It reminded me of the good old days building bike ramps when I was young. Of course I also wanted to be Evel Knievel when I was a kid. Boy those were good times, until I face planted on the street... making it less good.

Now I realize not everyone wants to catch big air while commuting to work on a bike, especially while pulling a youngster behind them in a trailer or hauling a load of groceries (including eggs). So for those folks we have prepared the information below.

Over the weekend, a section of the Keystone trail buckled and created a one foot heave in the cement (forming a perfect ramp that is a blast if you hit it at speed...). This is a fairly drastic buckle and it's steeper on the South side of the heave. If you use the Keystone and travel North of Blondo, please use caution. Also note that the North side of this buckle has a large hole on the West side that did not buckle upwards with the rest of the cement.

Here is a picture that doesn't do the height of this buckle justice:

Status of repair:

The City of Omaha's Park & Recreation Department (they handle trail repairs/maintenance) has been contacted. The buckle should be marked and blocked off today. Cement repairs should be made next week.

You may need to use the surface street East of the trail if it is not possible to get around the barricade. If you're going north, you can exit the trail just South of Blondo, take the sidewalk to Keystone Drive and follow Keystone Drive North to Maple Street where you can get back on the trail via the trail access just South of Maple. Reverse those instructions if you are heading south.

For future reference, you can report other Omaha trail issues to Denis Bryers at 402-444-3798 or email him at "DBryers {AT} ci.omaha.ne.us". Please provide the exact location of the trail issue and provide a picture if you can. Denis is a great guy and he will do the best job he can with the resources he has available. You can also find some other trail projects on the Parks & Recreation Trails page. They update this page from time to time with upcoming or current trail repairs.

UPDATE: This has still NOT been repaired.  It has been marked with a barricade but not repaired.  Denis is checking with the crew assigned to fix it to see when they will complete the task they are currently on and make this repair.