With a pedestrian bridge opening, Omaha and Council Bluffs are getting back to what brought the cities to their location in the first place – the river.

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, the first footbridge in the nation connecting two states, will officially open to pedestrians on Sunday. Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan will dedicate the bridge with a ribbon cutting.

“This is a truly historic occasion,” Fahey and Hanafan said in a joint statement. “The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge connects two strong communities and two great states with a monument that is as practical as it is artistic, one that will be a source of identity and pride for generations.”

The footbridge is named after former Nebraska governor and senator Bob Kerrey. Kerrey secured $19 million of federal funding for the bridge a year before leaving the Senate in 2001. The total cost for the bridge was $22 million.

Joe Gudenrath, spokesperson for Mayor Fahey’s office, explained the inspiration for the structure.

“Throughout Omaha’s history, the river was used as an industrial tool and former Mayor Gene Leahey had the vision of using the river for educational, cultural and recreational opportunites,” Gudenrath said.

This is going to pave the way for a lot of the riverfront development that you see in Omaha and carry out that vision.”

The bridge spans the Missouri River, connecting Omaha’s Riverfront Trail to Playland Park in Council Bluffs.

Its proximity to Creighton makes it accessible to students looking for a new running route. Garret Mueller, Arts & Sciences sophomore, runs two to three times a week. His normal route takes him from campus down Cass Street to the Qwest Center.

“I usually turn around at the Qwest Center and come back,” Mueller said, “but once the bridge opens, I’ll be able to run to Iowa, something I couldn’t do before unless I wanted to run on the interstate.”

Mueller imagines the bridge will build activity to adjacent trails that connect to it. The bridge will be a part of the proposed Quad-state trail system, connecting Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

“I think having the bridge will spur interest for common runners who haven’t ran the trails, to give them a shot,” he said.

Mueller said he also has a nice view of the structure from his Kenefick dorm room.

The whole span of the bridge is lighted at night, highlighted by the two 200-foot towers anchoring it.

“It really adds to the ambience of that nighttime downtown view,” he said.

The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m., on the 28th, but festivities begin at noon in Council Bluffs’ Playland Park at 20 N. 40th Street.

There will be a magician, a performance by two area high school marching bands and cheerleading squads, food vendors, the River City Ragtime Band, and informational booths. The event is free and open to the public.

Mueller believes other states could use the Kerrey Bridge as a model for building pedestrian bridges of their own.

“It’s got to start somewhere, and it’s pretty cool that it started here,” Muller said.