It’s a public crossing, a trailhead, and a full-on entertainment district — 60 feet over the water. Two, independent feasibility studies concluded its viable, it's the first of its kind in the world, and it's going to be sensational!
People have been building bridges to get to the other side since the beginning of time. We write songs about them. We paint them. We use them as a metaphor. We love bridges. Yet until now, they've always been a means to an end, a way to get from one location to another.
The Rock Island Bridge can take you to the other side... but this bridge can also be your destination.
For nearly a century the Rock Island Railroad played a central role in the Kansas City Stockyards District which ran along both sides of the Kansas (Kaw) River, and was the second-largest beef processing center in the world. The Railroad's initial bridge over the Kansas River was swept away in the flood of 1901.
To replace it, the Railroad hired the American Bridge Company to design and build two 302 feet-long, Pennsylvania trusses and concrete foundations forty feet into the riverbed. The new bridge began service in 1905. In 1921, a third, shorter span was added to the eastern end when the US Army Corps widened the channel.
Following the devastation of the Flood of '51, the Corps hired L. G. Barcus Company of Kansas City, KS to install screw-lift gates capable of raising the three trusses six feet in advance of high waters. Barcus is now back on the job, using the same mechanisms to lift the bridge to its new permanent location above the height of the new levees, and installing the new steel and concrete decks and railings.
The City of Kansas City, Missouri purchased the bridge and its access easements in 1980 as part of the Kemper Arena parking expansion. Since that time, the majestic structure sat unused, its tracks long ago disconnected. Kansas City, Kansas took ownership of the bridge in 2022 to connect its emerging network of levee trails, and to activate the new Kansas Waterfront through this unique, public/private partnership.
Great cities possess surprising and remarkable destinations that say something about who they are and from where they’ve come
The San Antonio Riverwalk, the St. Louis City Museum, the Minneapolis Riverfront and New York City’s High Line . . . They were an unloved river, an abandoned shoe factory, a derelict lock and milling district, and an old railway line and all once forgotten relics. But with vision and calculated risk, people came together to transform these places into beloved destinations that now define their cities.
Appreciating the Kansas River’s recreational value, the West Bottoms’ gathering energy, and a growing demand for local, authentic and fun experiences, Flying Truss is reclaiming the historic Rock Island Railroad Bridge as America’s first trailhead and entertainment district over a river.
This 1905 bridge and this place along the Kansas-Missouri border was chosen to at long last embrace our metro’s history of railroads, big rivers, and big bridges, setting into motion what is becoming a vibrant, riverfront district.
The Rock Island Bridge is an infrastructure re-use project itself that reinvents 1,200 tons of blighted steel into a public crossing, trailhead and an entertainment district. It's also the catalyst in a broader movement to:
The steel rails are being repurposed as foot rests along the bar and viewing platforms. And we are minimizing waste in our food service strategy, and exploring the viability of solar energy.
Rock Island Bridge has been invited to join the prestigious High Line Network, a working think-tank for America's top infrastructure reuse projects. A high honor.
Members of the Network commit to creating vibrant, public spaces that anchor local communities, build civic connections, support environmental resilience and foster equitable community development.
Infrastructure reuse projects like the rock island bridge can transform entire areas in a community. But they often need participation from across the entire community to get them going. If you run into any of our friends and supporters below . . . Remember to raise a high-five, an oar, or a glass of the good stuff to them.
