Bridge over Muddied Waters

(Thanks to Discover Kansas City for this and a few other photos.)

The other night I was reminded how cool it would be to buy a bridge.

Cute and I were attending an event sponsored by his alma mater, the University of Central Missouri (Go, Mules) at the new two-level “entertainment district” on the Rock Island Bridge.  It was a Thursday night and the event was on the top level with the lower level devoted to the public – families, couples, groups, all mixed.  I can’t speak to the food on the lower level as we only sampled the event's offerings, but the menu from the River House ranges from oysters, mussels, and salmon to steak and burgers and salads. Oh, and a Campfire S’Mores skillet.

The bridge is officially titled the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Bridge. It connects to some public trailheads developed by the KCK’s Unified Government along the Kansas River levees, as part of the planned Kansas Waterfront park space intended to link the Armourdale and Argentine neighborhoods.

You get to it by parking on the Missouri side, near the Hy-Vee arena.  I looked it up and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County is responsible for the knee-to-my waist-high weeds, construction debris, and generally derelict appearance of the walk to the entrance.  I’m hoping that is remedied soon. It can be a bit of a hike.

(The sign on the left refers to Bush Charles Helzberg, dedicated to his memory, honoring "his philanthropic contributions, vision for the city, and passion for projects that bring the community together.")

I wondered about how many railroad bridges Kansas City has, since we were, and are, the second largest railroad hub in the country.  Maybe around eight major ones, some no longer sporting trains.  Obviously, all had specific purposes for the railroads (BNSF, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern, etc. back then) who built them:  the 1905 Rock Island was to bring grain in and then transport out the stockyards’ products to the nation.  

The bridge and its easements were eventually bought by KCMO in 1980 as part of the Kemper Arena parking expansion. Since that time, the huge structure sat unused, its tracks long ago disconnected. Kansas City, Kansas took ownership of the bridge in 2022.  Back in 2018, Mike Zeller and his wife secured a long term lease, founded a company, Flying Truss, formed all kinds of partnerships with governments, individuals, and organizations and began planning.    

If you’ve been to the San Antonio Riverwalk or NYC’s Highline, this project joins the small list of totally re-envisioned, totally recreated and imaginative rehabbed industrial spaces.  It took individual perseverance, partnerships, and creativity for this 1905 bridge connecting Kansas and Missouri to embrace our legacy of railroads, rivers, bridges, and people.

There’s a nice video you should watch at https://rockislandkc.com/bridge-history/ which talks about opening in 2024. It took until 2026, but no matter. Go visit and see the Kaw flow by from 60 feet up and admire how a bridge has been repurposed into a gathering and entertainment space.