Rock Island Bridge (Kansas City)
Encyclopedia
The Rock Island Bridge in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...

 is a rail crossing of the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...

 and connects the Armourdale district of Kansas City, Kansas to the West Bottoms district of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

. It is a thru-truss bridge, that is closed to traffic.

It was built in 1905, and has two main spans and a smaller span on the east side. It also has a screw jack lifting system to allow the bridge to be lifted during floods. It was used until 1972, when the Kansas City Stockyards
Kansas City Stockyards
The Kansas City Stockyards in the West Bottoms west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri flourished from 1871 until closing in 1991.Jay B. Dillingham was the President of the stockyards from the 1948 to its closing in 1991.-History:...

 closed out, and Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena is a 19,500 seat indoor arena, in Kansas City, Missouri.It is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan and who donated $3.2 million, from his estate for the arena...

 was built right in the path of the tracks, and Rock Island abandoned the line to the bridge later that year. The bridges rails were cut off at each end and a levee for the Kansas River was built at the east end. It no longer carries railroads, but now carries electrical wires in a rack. It is located just north of Kansas Avenue over the Kansas River. GO FART IN A DITCH
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