LG Barcus & Sons, our KCK-based construction company, raised the bridge 3.5 feet in June. They used the same gears that Grandpa Barcus installed shortly after the Great Flood of ‘51 – even though they’ve been dormant for over 50 years. The bottom of the structure is now above the new levee height, which is being raised by the US Army Corps.
Watch the raise on a stop-action video below, courtesy of P-Tn.
A High Honor
The Rock Island Bridge was invited to join the High Line Network. Initiated by the High Line Park in New York City, the Network is a working think tank among North America’s top “infrastructure reuse” projects.
There were two aspects of our project that caught the Network’s attention: the idea of treating a bridge “like land,” and the barn-raising approach with participation among the public, private, philanthropic, and corporate sectors…all pulling together to achieve what none could achieve alone. This is a high honor for our team and we’re the first project in Kansas to be invited to join.
See You in September
We will be hosting a series of Topping Off tours for supporters this September ON THE BRIDGE! While all of the amenities won’t be in place until 2024, we will have a new steel and concrete public crossing, cantilevered decks off of both sides of the bridge, a top deck, and a full set of railings. Stay tuned for this sneak peek!
A Slice of History
Help us light the bridge and you’ll receive a sneak peek tour this fall, and a limited-edition, solid-steel rail slice cut from the tracks of this 1905 structure. It’s a barn raising…
Each is uniquely numbered.