 Previous attempts had required a specific franchise from the United States Congress to cross a navigable waterway.In 1946, Congress passed the General Bridges Act, which allowed for "construction, maintenance, and operation of bridges and approaches thereto over the navigable waters of the United States" by public bodies and repealed provisions of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.This allowed the State of Nebraska to pass legislation creating the North Omaha Bridge Commission and put the wheels in motion for the successful establishment of a permanent river crossing.