Rock Island Bridge Imagines Yet Another Kansas City Party District

For the record . . . 

For most of the modern era, developers have been trying to "revive" the West Bottoms and it has NEVER worked. 

For some not-so-strange reason . . . Most people don't feel like driving into a flood plain full of empty warehouses in order to have a few drinks. 

Nevertheless . . . A great deal of cash has been devoted to this effort and here's the latest update:

“We’re maybe the biggest river town in America that hasn’t really figured out how to get our arms around our rivers,” said Zeller, CEO of Flying Truss, which is leading the Rock Island Bridge project — a public-private partnership that also taps into philanthropic and corporate funding.

This historic railroad bridge will be reimagined as a gathering space and entertainment hub with music, dining, coffee shops, bars, trailhead services, and more. It is expected to boast 35,000 square feet of usable space — all elevated 40 feet above the Kansas River.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

How Rock Island Bridge is turning 3 million pounds of steel into KC's next entertainment hub

New cantilevers and bumpouts add significant stretches of "land" along the bridge's 702-foot length, making the structure longer than the St. Louis Arch is tall.

Another blast from the local news cartel . . .

Rock Island Bridge is transforming 3 million pounds of steel to connect a Kansas City riverfront

This historic railroad bridge - built in 1905 but out of service since the 70s - is being reimagined as a gathering space and entertainment hub, elevated 40 feet above the Kansas River. Developers hope the project will also help spur more development in the West Bottoms and connect the two Kansas Cities.