This Kansas City bridge’s unique features have made it part of our skyline for over 100 years
Most Kansas Citians pay little mind to the rusty rail bridge spanning the Missouri River between the Berkley Riverfront and North Kansas City. But reader Steve Q. wanted to know why the seemingly defunct bridge is still standing — and what its future might hold.
“I cannot tell as I traverse the Heart of America bridge, if the ASB is still an active railroad bridge, or if it is no longer in use,” Steve wrote.
The Armour-Swift-Burlington Bridge, more commonly called the ASB Bridge, is named after the two meatpacking companies and one railroad company that built it more than 100 years ago. It’s now owned and operated by the freight giant BNSF Railway, which says it is still in active use.
“BNSF still uses the bridge to serve our customers,” spokesperson Kendall Sloan told The Star.
Visitors to the Berkley Riverfront probably know the bridge best for the zig-zagging path that takes joggers, cyclists and dog walkers underneath it. But the unassuming bridge holds both a national recognition and a storied history.
What makes the ASB Bridge so special?
The ASB Bridge is one of only two in the country that was originally designed to accommodate vehicle traffic on the upper level and trains on the lower level.
It also features a unique lift system by which a portion of the railway can be raised to allow large boats to pass underneath. BNSF didn’t respond to The Star’s question about whether the lift system is still functional today.
This sophisticated design has led the bridge to be designated a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The bridge opened in 1911 with two lanes of traffic on the upper deck, and collected tolls until the state highway department — a predecessor to the Missouri Department of Transportation — acquired it in 1927.
For 35 years, the upper level of the bridge ferried drivers across the river — and also included tracks for the city’s electric streetcars. In 1948, the streetcar rails were removed and the upper deck was widened to two lanes of traffic in each direction.
The bridge remained a fixture of the Kansas City landscape for decades. But as time passed, it struggled to accommodate the ever-increasing vehicle traffic across the Missouri River.
The additional lanes on the upper level were supported by diagonal girders, rather than sitting on the bridge’s foundation. By the 1970’s, inspections found that some of the girders were starting to bend under the weight of the additional lanes and traffic.
“The ASB Bridge is in poor condition,” Kansas City Times reporter Lewis W. Diuguid wrote in 1981. as construction began on the Heart of America Bridge. “In 1977, the highway department banned traffic of six tons or more from using the outer lanes.”
Construction began in the early 1980’s on the Heart of America Bridge, which connects downtown to North Kansas City today. When it finally opened in 1987, it took over the job of connecting Kansas City drivers to the Northland.
The roadway on the upper deck of the ASB bridge was removed, leaving only the lower rail level that remains in use today.
Mentions of the ASB Bridge crop up in The Star and its former morning edition, the Kansas City Times, throughout the past hundred years.
In 1926, a toll ticket from the bridge was used to track down the identity of a man killed in a traffic accident. The next year, a fisherman saw two men throw a large bundle, believed to be a dead body, over the side of the bridge. And in 1981, police responded to a call that a man had jumped off the bridge — only to find him swimming in the river below.
While it has seen countless infrastructure upgrades throughout the last century, the ASB Bridge isn’t going anywhere soon. Next time you’re strolling along the Berkley Riverfront, take a moment to look up at this historic landmark.
Do you have questions about a Kansas City landmark or other local history? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published June 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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