Dashcam footage shows issue on U.S. 169 before closure: ‘Surprised I didn’t blow a tire’
Brianna Schooley frequently drives on U.S. Highway 169 between Kansas City and the Northland, where she often encounters a raised section of the bridge, she said. But she wasn’t expecting it to be quite as raised as it was when she drove that route on Dec. 16.
Crews closed northbound U.S. 169 Dec. 16 after the Missouri Department of Transportation discovered structural issues with the bridge over BNSF Railway’s tracks, Greg Bolon, Kansas City District Engineer for MoDOT, said in a Dec. 16 press conference.
Crews discovered the side of the bridge joint was raised one inch Dec. 16, and decided to close the bridge “for cautionary purposes until further evaluations can be made,” Bolon said.
In a TikTok video posted to her account, @hottbritches, Schooley shared dashcam footage of the raised bridge joint as she drove across the structure from around 10 a.m. the day the bridge was closed.
In the video, which pans between Schooley and the road in front of her, viewers can see the raised bridge joint moments before Schooley drives over it. She takes her hand from the center console, grabbing the wheel, before her mouth opens in shock.
“And it was very loud, and I was surprised I didn’t blow a tire, honestly,” Schooley told The Star in a phone interview.
After hitting the bridge joint, she “switched immediately” to her tire pressure screen to make sure her tires would be ok.
“And I was like, ok, it’s not going down, but it was still making me nervous, so I watched it all day,” Schooley said.
However, Schooley theorized, the driver behind her wasn’t as lucky. While she didn’t directly see the driver blow a tire, she said the vehicle behind her “pulled off to the shoulder immediately” after hitting the bridge joint.
After the incident, Schooley had to take her car into the shop for an alignment. Her friend, a mechanic, was going to check her car out for any damages.
In Schooley’s TikTok comment section, commenters agreed that the bridge has had structural issues in the past.
“Quite a few people have said that it’s been a problem for a long time… they should have looked at that entire section while they had the whole thing closed down, when they were making the new bridge to get on the highway right there,” Schooley said.
At the end of the day, Schooley shared the video because of her shocked reaction captured in the dashcam footage.
“Honestly, I just shared it because the end was so funny, and I was laughing so hard,” Schooley said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god people need to see this. This is hilarious.’ It was scary, but, like, at the same time, it’s fine, you know, you gotta laugh a little bit.”
The bridge is set to remain closed until further inspections can be made, Bolon said. The structure is set to be replaced after the World Cup, beginning in July or August 2026, Bolon said.
Since the bridge’s closure last week, drivers have reported slowed traffic in southbound lanes of U.S. 169.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton and Kendrick Calfee contributed.
