WWhen the in-progress Rock Island Bridge opens in 2024, the massive infrastructure renewal project will become Kansas City’s – and America’s – first “destination landmark bridge,” Mike Zeller said.
And the effort specifically takes advantage of one of the metro’s most overlooked assets: its rivers.
Mike Laddin and Mike Zeller, Flying Truss, at Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“We may be the largest river city in America that hasn’t really figured out how to embrace our rivers,” he said Zeller, CEO of Flying Truss, which takes the lead Rock Island Bridge Project – a public-private partnership that also leverages philanthropic and corporate funding.
This historic railroad bridge is being reimagined as a gathering place and entertainment center with music, restaurants, cafes, bars, trailheads and more. It is expected to have 35,000 square feet of floor space – all located 40 feet above the Kansas River.
New cantilevers and bulges add significant “land sections” along the bridge’s 702-foot length, making the structure longer than the St. Louis Arch is tall.
“It’s a public crossing, a walking path and also a community space,” Zeller said. “There will be seating for hundreds of people, people can come out here and congregate, similar to Union Station.”
Image courtesy of Flying Truss
Built in 1905 by the Rock Island Railroad The bridge has been out of use for the transport of livestock and goods since the 1970s.
Click Here to learn more about the history of the bridge.
The Rock Island Bridge Project – in the West Bottoms, nearby Hy-Vee Arena – aims to not only reactivate the bridge, but also use the structure as a catalyst for economic development and revitalization along the waterfront, as well as a means of physically connecting Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.
Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
A day on the bridge
The redevelopment project is expected to provide the nation’s first entertainment district on a bridge by adding shops and restaurants overlooking the river and connecting a pedestrian path to the Kansas Levee Trail system and the Greenline Trail.
RELATED: Aren’t you excited about these three projects in Downtown KC? “You need to get your pulse checked.”
“What can you do for entertainment? The answer is maybe catfishing on Saturday morning and maybe going to the farmers market on Saturday afternoon or doing something else downstairs on Saturday night while there’s a wedding and live music going on upstairs,” he said Mike Laddin, CFO of Flying Truss.
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Depiction of the Rock Island Bridge; Image courtesy of Flying Truss
Depiction of the Rock Island Bridge; Image courtesy of Flying Truss
Flying Truss is also working with community and business partners like Brad McDonald with ZipKC, which wants to build towers for activities like zip lines across the river.
“You can rent kayaks and canoes down here. So you could show up Saturday morning with 10 of your friends and then drive to Bonner Springs,” Zeller said. “You can drive up there and then get in the river and paddle down, have dinner here and see a concert. We don’t have to go to the Ozarks.”
freewheel bikes for children, An organization dedicated to getting more children on bikes more often and safely will also be located and operating at the bridge, he said.
“They teach kids how to repair bikes, give them free bikes and organize bike rides. “They want to do a bike check-out here,” Zeller said. “It will help activate the trails.”
Levee paths along the Kansas River waterfront, near the Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Boosting the local economy
This bridge is expected to bring a rising tide to Wyandotte County economically, Zeller said.
Homes under construction on the banks of the Kansas River, near the Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“The unified government is getting a nice connection for its trails,” he said, noting that the effort will provide Eastern Wyandotte County with more entertainment options as well as a financial boost.
“Several communities that have access to outdoor activities see incomes increase, their health improves, crime decreases and families are more stable,” Zeller said.
“Weight [for maintaining Rock Island Bridge as an asset] does not go back to the taxpayer,” he continued. “We use part of the company’s profits to clean and maintain the terraces and clean the bathrooms. It’s self-sustaining.”
The venture will generate returns for investors while providing a unique addition to Wyandotte County and the broader Kansas City metropolitan area by activating the riverfront and being considered a pioneering project on a global scale, Zeller said.
Watch a video of Flying Truss over the Rock Island Bridge below, then read on.
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Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Rock Island Bridge, November 2023; Photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
National attention
Laddin recently highlighted the inclusion of the Rock Island Bridge Lonely Planet travel feature as a notable national recognition for the bridge. The guide calls Kansas City one of only two must-visit cities in the United States, in part because of the upcoming opening of the Rock Island Bridge.
Click Here to check out Lonely Planet’s suggestion for a trip to Kansas City.
“Not only will it be the best city break destination in the region, it will be nationwide. People will read what we do in the Lonely Planet,” Laddin said. “We will be a World Cup monitoring station and depending on who the countries are, we will fly their flags.”
Flying Truss is currently selling up to $2 million in equity capital to qualified investors.
“It can be used for exercise and outdoor recreation and it activates an important resource we have,” Laddin said. “We don’t have mountains or lakes, but we have this cool river.”