Crews began construction this week on Cunningham Commons, a $19 million project adding new places to play, bike and fish along the west side of Lake Cunningham in Omaha. The construction has forced the closure of Entrance 3 at North 96th Street and Garvin Road, with the work expected to take anywhere from 18 months to two years depending on weather.
According to WOWT, Lake Cunningham Trust executive director Brook Bench said Entrance 3 needs to close because work is coming in off 96th Street. Bench said funding for the project comes mostly from philanthropic donors, with the City of Omaha helping with parking during construction. Visitors can still reach trails through Entrance 1 off State Street and Entrance 4 off Bennington Road while the closure is in effect.
Cunningham Commons is slated to bring a playground, a mountain biking facility, a bicycle playground, three fishing piers and additional fishing habitat to the lake's west side, per the same report. The project also calls for public restrooms and a small coffee shop, and construction crews are adding a new water line as part of the build-out.
Trust Director Says Disruption Will Pay Off
Bench called the park beautiful and said the project will activate it further, adding that the new amenities are meant to serve families for the long haul. “This is a beautiful park. And we want to activate it even more.” Bench also said the project will add family-friendly features for long-term use while preserving the park's natural character. Park leaders have said the disruption will be worth the result once the work wraps.
Bench also said the finished site will offer amenities uncommon in other area parks, a point echoed by Lake Cunningham visitor Karen Wolfe. Wolfe told WOWT she visits the lake to take her grandchildren hiking and biking and expects the improvements to be nice, adding that she believes the construction will be worth it in the end.
Part of a Broader Vision for the Lake
Project documentation from JEO describes Cunningham Commons as a year-round destination for recreation, learning and connection near Entrance 3, set within a 390-acre lake surrounded by a 1,050-acre park. Plans call for accessible restrooms, classroom space, a concession area and a large covered gathering space alongside a nature-inspired playground, a bike park with mountain biking trails and three new fishing piers. JEO describes the effort as a collaboration involving the Lake Cunningham Development Trust, the City of Omaha Parks & Recreation Department, the Papio Missouri River Natural Resources District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Cost figures for the project have varied across coverage. WOWT's November report put the price tag at $19 million, while an earlier WOWT story from April described a nearly $20 million renovation, and 3 News Now characterized it as a $20 million investment tied to nearly 100 acres of expansion. JEO's project materials also note that an April 2026 groundbreaking marked the start of construction, with completion targeted for 2028 — a timeline that sits alongside WOWT's November headline describing construction as just beginning.
How It Fits Into Lake Cunningham's Longer Redevelopment
Lake Cunningham has been the subject of redevelopment plans for years. An earlier proposal detailed by WOWT described a $15 million redevelopment that included a nearly six-mile multipurpose trail, a four-mile equestrian and nature trail, and a new RV campground alongside upgrades to the existing one. Separately, a rail-trail effort known as Cunningham Park Phase One is planned to add roughly six miles of trail and supporting infrastructure, with construction scheduled for 2026 through 2027 and activation estimated for 2027 through 2028, according to Trails Have Our Respect, which describes that phase as a $1 million infrastructure investment.
For now, the immediate change for visitors is the closure at Entrance 3, while the rest of the park remains accessible through its other gates. Bench and Wolfe both framed the coming disruption as a short-term trade-off for a long-term addition to one of Omaha's largest park spaces.
