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Blue Troll Sculpture Unveiled Under Omaha Pedestrian Bridge

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials have unveiled a blue 300-pound (136.08-kilogram) bronze statue of a troll that now sits below the popular Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge spanning the Missouri River from Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Omar the Troll — short for Omaha Metro Area River — was introduced during a news conference Wednesday. The 4-foot (1.22-meter) troll with a toothy grin now greets visitors from atop a concrete cottage set up on a mulched area by one of the bridge's pillars.

The sculpture is the brainchild of tourism group Visit Omaha and has been in the works for three years. The idea behind his creation is to keep visitors excited about the riverfront bridge.

Deborah Ward with Visit Omaha tells the Omaha World-Herald that "every bridge needs a troll."