Warning curtain may help stop Independence Ave bridge crashes. Here’s what it looks like

Kansas City officials are looking to improve warnings around the Independence Avenue bridge, which at a 12-foot clearance, is infamous for causing large trucks to crash.

The city is hoping to install a warning curtain in front of the bridge by the end of the year, city spokesman John Baccala said Friday.

When drivers hit a warning curtain, the hanging plastic tubes make a loud noise to alert drivers that they may not clear the entrance to the bridge.

Here’s an example of what the city is working to install:

“This would give trucks advance warning of the low bridge clearance with enough time to detour off the route,” Baccala said.

The city is working with Kansas City Terminal Railway, which owns the bridge, to secure funding.

The current warnings on the bridge include flashing lights and signs alerting drivers of the low clearance. But even with signage in place, the bridge is “undefeated” when it comes to destroying trucks, according to a Twitter page dedicated to documenting run-ins.

The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company previously told The Star that the bridge gets hit about twice a month.

The bridge also has its own Facebook page, which proclaims: “I have been feasting on your human concoctions for decades. Your wheeled steel boxes are quite delicious. Please feed me more!”