Rock Island Bridge (Kansas City, Kansas)
Rock Island Bridge | |
|---|---|
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri is in the distant background on the bluff, and the Hy-Vee Arena and the Rock Island Bridge are above the levee. | |
| Coordinates | 39°05′28″N 94°36′31″W / 39.0911°N 94.6087°W |
| Carries | Historically one track of Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad |
| Crosses | Kansas River |
| Locale | Kansas City, Kansas connecting to Kansas City, Missouri border near West Bottoms |
| Official name | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Bridge |
| Maintained by | Unified Government (owner) Flying Truss LLC (operator/developer) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Pennsylvania through truss |
| Material | Steel (riveted construction) |
| Total length | 705 ft (215 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | American Bridge Company |
| Opened | 1905 |
| Closed | c. 1970s (rail service ceased) 1980 (rail line liquidated) |
| Location | |
The Rock Island Bridge is a historic railroad bridge crossing the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas. It connects the Armourdale neighborhood to the West Bottoms area near the Kansas-Missouri state line. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (the Rock Island line) completed the steel Pennsylvania through truss bridge in 1905. Rail operations ceased in the 1970s, and the bridge was dormant for decades.
In 2022, the Unified Government (UG) of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas acquired ownership. Flying Truss, LLC, is a startup company that is redeveloping the structure into a public crossing, entertainment district, and event venue, described as "America's first trailhead and entertainment district over a river".