Omaha officials broke ground Thursday afternoon at the corner of 14th and Douglas streets, marking the beginning of the first phase of a nearly $300 million riverfront revitalization project.

City officials said construction activity at the site — fences going up, etc. — is expected to begin Wednesday, "with traffic lane closures beginning around morning rush hour," according to a

press release on the project.

Parking meters on the north and south side of the mall will be removed: on Douglas Street from 10th to 14th streets, and on Farnam from 13th to 14th streets.

On Thursdays in the spring, food trucks will be asked to relocate from the mall to Dodge Street, between 14th and 15th streets; and will also be able to park on 14th Street between Capitol and Dodge.

"Not only will it revitalize the three parks, but it will have an immense impact on the core of our city," Morgans Bay of Downtown Riverfront Trust LLC said during the afternoon groundbreaking. "More people will want to come down here, more people will want to live here, and more people will want to work here."

Brian Leahy, son of former Mayor Gene Leahy, for whom the mall is named, said his father would approve.

"You know, dad would be very excited. Also, to quote, him he’d probably say, 'I’m tickled to death,' " Leahy said. "This was the original plan: to bring business and the public together, work together, they both serve each other. That’s whats happened over all these years."

The mall will be closed during construction, including access to the slides.

Sidewalks also will be closed at these locations. Other sidewalks around the mall will be closed as construction continues.

Tree removal will also begin next week, and a safety fence will be installed around the entire mall to provide a safe and secure area.

“I believe this will be one of the most significant projects in Omaha's history," Mayor Jean Stothert said Thursday. “It reflects the

generosity of donors, the beauty of the riverfront, and our faith in the future. The parks will be a destination for our citizens

and visitors. We will attract new talent, new convention business and new events."

Plans call for demolition and grading to be underway by May. Heartland of America Park and the Lewis & Clark Landing will also eventually close for renovation during this project; those closings are expected in 2020.

Longtime local fine-art photographer Larry Ferguson told 6 News today that he thinks the end result will be a safer space.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen when they raise it up. Will the people really come back down there now or not? I really don’t know," Ferguson said. "But as far as public safety is concerned, it certainly will be safer — but will it be really popular with the people there?”

The project,

, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023.

"It will undoutably unlock tremoudous opportunity for our community to grow and for the advancement of the quality of life here in Omaha and in the region," said Jay Noddle, MECA board member.

MECA said in its release that it has entered into agreements with OJB and HDR for their continued efforts to conceptualize and design the riverfront transformation. Kiewit has been contracted to act as construction manager.

Developer renderings of riverfront project