The Armour-Swift-Burlington (ASB) Bridge, also known as the North Kansas City Bridge and the LRC Bridge, is a rail crossing over the
Missouri River in
Kansas City, Missouri, that formerly handled automobile traffic.
History
The piers were built in 1890. However, later that year, lack of funding prevented the bridge from being built. In 1909,
Waddell & Harrington designed the current bridge and construction started. The bridge is one of two of this type that had car traffic on
Route 9 on the upper level, and rail traffic on the lower level. The lower deck could be raised to permit riverboats to pass without interrupting car traffic on top. This design allowed the hangers from the lower deck to go through the truss members of the upper deck. The bridge was built by a combination of
Armour Packing Company,
Swift & Company, and
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
.
In 1987, the
Heart of America Bridge opened to the east to replace the vehicular portion.
In 1996, the remaining part of the ASB was designated by the
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
as a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
__NOTOC__
The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...
. The bridge is now owned by the
BNSF Railway. The ASB has a main span, and makes it the ninth-longest
vertical-lift drawbridge
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
in the United States.
Timeline
1890:
Nine stone masonry piers built; engineer
John Alexander Low Waddell did not agree with piers, funding ceased and the piers would sit unused until 1909.
1909:
The companies of Armour Packing House, Swift and Company, and Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad put in funds to build bridge.
Piers shaved to ten feet above high-water mark, J. A. L. Waddell's firm of
Waddell & Harrington created a new design, work begins.
December 28, 1911:
Bridge opened to traffic, two lanes of automobile on upper level, one track of railroad on lower.
1915 to 1926:
On the Jefferson Highway. From Jefferson Highway Association era materials.
January 1913:
Electric interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...
cars begin use of streetcar rails on upper deck.
May 2, 1927:
South approach span damaged in fire, replaced later that month.
August 1927:
Bridge taken over by Missouri State Highway Department and tolls removed. Bridge floor replaced.
1932:
Steel girder span over Second Street replaced.
1948:
Bridge deck replaced, repairs and new lights added.
Streetcar rails removed, and opened to four lanes of traffic.
1949:
Collars placed around river piers to prevent rust.
1950:
Bridge cleaned and repainted.
1951:
Bridge survives 1951 flood.
1952:
North approach widened.
1966:
North approach widened and resurfaced.
1967:
Bridge deck repaired.
1981–1982:
Repair of girder lines on downstream side of railroad deck.
1987:
Heart of America Bridge opened to the east, upper auto deck closed to all traffic.
1988–1989:
Upper deck surface removed, and bridge given to
Burlington Northern
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.
Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroadin ...
railroad.
1996:
Bridge added as a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
__NOTOC__
The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...
by the
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
, for being one of only two of that type ever built in the United States.
See also
*
*
List of crossings of the Missouri River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Missouri River from the Mississippi River upstream to its source(s).
Crossings
See also
* List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
This is a list of all current and notable fo ...
References
External links
Armour-Swift-Burlington Bridgeon website of American Society of Civil Engineers, Kansas City chapter
*
{{Crossings navbox
, structure = Crossings
, place =
Missouri River
, bridge = ASB Bridge
, bridge signs =
, upstream =
Hannibal Bridge
The First Hannibal Bridge was the first permanent rail crossing of the Missouri River and helped establish Kansas City, Missouri as a major city and rail center. The increased train traffic resulting from its construction also contributed to th ...
, upstream signs = ''(Demolished)''
, downstream =
Heart of America Bridge
, downstream signs =
Railroad bridges in Missouri
Bridges in Kansas City, Missouri
Bridges completed in 1911
BNSF Railway bridges
Historic American Engineering Record in Missouri
Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
Vertical lift bridges in Missouri
Former toll bridges in Missouri
1911 establishments in the United States
Metal bridges in the United States