The Truhlsen Skywalk
The skywalk between the Truhlsen Eye Institute and the Fritch Surgery Center came with its challenges. The biggest was that it would have to span across 40th Street.
After talking with city officials, it was decided that the city would vacate the street and UNMC/Nebraska Medicine would now be responsible for it.
“It would have been easy to finish the Fritch Surgery Center without a connection to the Truhlsen Eye Institute,” said Dan DeBehnke, M.D., M.B.A., CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “But, the easy way is not always the better way.
“It certainly was the right thing to do and an extremely valuable investment in this medical center and the patients we’ll serve in years to come. It was built for all the right reasons — to make it easier for our patients and their families. It’s a connection that summarizes our promise to our patients — serious medicine, extraordinary care.”
Here are some facts about the new skywalk:
- Approximately 230 feet long and 8 feet wide;
- $2.1 million – privately funded;
- Connects from the third level of the Truhlsen Eye Institute to the second level of the Lauritzen Outpatient Center/Fritch Surgery Center;
- It is a steel-truss type of structure, supported by five reinforced concrete piers – the maximum span between support piers is 60 feet;
- It is flat (NOTE: The 42nd Street skywalk is arched to permit fire trucks under it.);
- 40th Street has been closed off to traffic, and the area under the skywalk has been landscaped and includes a 10-foot wide pedestrian walking path;
- Walking path connects into the Ruth and Bill Scott Student Plaza, providing a continuous walkway from Emile Street to Leavenworth Street;
- With students parking in lots south of Leavenworth Street, it provides safe and easy access into the campus;
- Features energy-saving glass, which reduces the effects of direct sunlight without compromising the view from the interior;
- Provides an open panoramic view of the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine campus;
- Construction of the skywalk took about one year;
- Tod Ringenberg, manager – capital construction, facilities management & planning, served as project manager;
- RDG, the Omaha company that designed the Lauritzen Outpatient Center/Fritch Surgery Center, was the architect;
- MCL, an Omaha company, was the construction company on the project.
Since it opened in 2013, the Truhlsen Eye Institute at 40th and Leavenworth streets has taken eye care at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine to a whole new level.
But, one thing has been missing — it was somewhat isolated from the rest of the campus.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case. A beautiful new skywalk now connects the TEI with the Lauritzen Outpatient Center & Fritch Surgery Center.
“The skywalk is a metaphor for what makes the medical center great — connectivity,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “We are all connected.”
The skywalks on the medical center campus are impressive. There is nothing like them in Omaha. When the two skywalks coming into the Davis Global Center are finished next year, you will be able to navigate more than one-half mile across campus — in several directions — and never have to go outside.
The man who made the latest skywalk happen is the same person whose name graces the TEI — Stanley Truhlsen, M.D., a legendary ophthalmologist who has been “connected” to UNMC since he started medical school in 1941.
Yes, the man entered medical school three months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Dr. Truhlsen is now 97 and still going strong. When he started going to medical school, there were basically three buildings on campus — Poynter Hall (then called the North Building), Bennett Hall (the South Building) and University Hospital.
“My classmates wouldn’t know where they were if they came to campus today,” Dr. Truhlsen said. “The new buildings are sprouting like mushrooms.”
On March 15, a dedication event was held in the skywalk. Speakers included Dr. Gold, Dr. Truhlsen, Dan DeBehnke, M.D., M.B.A., CEO of Nebraska Medicine, Charles Fritch, M.D., a UNMC College of Medicine graduate and renowned ophthalmologist in Bakersfield, Calif., who made the lead gift on the Fritch Surgery Center, and James Gigantelli, M.D., interim chair and professor, UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Dottie Truhlsen, Stanley’s wife, and several members of the Truhlsen family also were in attendance.
A native of Herman, Neb. (population of about 300), Dr. Truhlsen was instilled by his family with the importance of giving back.
And that he has done — in incredible fashion.
“It’s been a great ride,” he said. “I’m glad to share my professional career with this great institution.”
Coming soon – two more skywalks
Construction is progressing on the Davis Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning on the southeast corner of 42nd and Emile streets with completion expected in early 2019.
Once the Davis Global Center is completed, two more skywalks will be constructed.
One skywalk will go from the Lauritzen Outpatient Center & Fritch Surgery Center and will connect to the Davis Global Center.
The second skywalk will go from the Davis Global Center and bridge across Emile Street to the Sorrell Center.