Highline Bridge (Kansas City, Kansas)

Highline Bridge
Highline Bridge with Union Pacific 844 as seen from the Kansas Avenue Bridge, October 2016
Coordinates	39°05′03″N 94°36′39″W / 39.0843°N 94.6108°W / 39.0843; -94.6108Coordinates: 39°05′03″N 94°36′39″W / 39.0843°N 94.6108°W / 39.0843; -94.6108
Carries	4 tracks of the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCTR), 2 on lowel level, 2 on upper
Crosses	Kansas River, Armourdale District
Locale	Kansas City, Kansas
Maintained by	BNSF Railway
Characteristics
Design	2 level Thru-Truss, Deck Truss
History
Opened	1919
Location

The Highline Bridge is rare example of a double-tracked double-deck railroad bridge designed for carrying railroad traffic on both levels. It is located over the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas. The bridge is owned and operated by the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCTR) and provides access between the extensive rail yards on both sides of the river in the Argentine and Armourdale neighborhoods.

The current bridge was constructed between 1916-1919 as part of the improvements needed to relocate the Kansas City Union Station to its present location while still providing efficient access to railroads serving the station from the west and northwest. The roads using the bridge at the time of construction included the Union Pacific, Chicago Great Western, Missouri Pacific, and Rock Island.

The upper deck was originally intended to handle passenger traffic while freight traffic proceeded on the lower deck. Currently the bridge handles freight traffic on both levels.

Construction and physical structure[]

Construction of the bridge and several miles of associated viaducts largely on the Kansas side of river cost $3M and was part of $4.5M (approximately $100M adjusted for inflation to 2022) in total improvements needed for the terminal relocation project. The construction of the Highline Bridge was delayed several years beyond the 1914 opening of the new union station due to disagreement on route of the viaducts and location of stations serving Kansas City, Kansas.^[1][2]

The current bridge replaced a 730-foot single-track bridge built in 1907, that consisted of two 300-foot Petit truss spans and a 130-foot approach on the west side. The piers of the old bridge had been constructed to accommodate double track and were reused. Since the old bridge carried approximately 180 train movements per day across the river it could not be removed from operation to accommodate construction. Due to the new bridge's greater height and width, it was constructed around the old bridge while it remained in service, although the existing tracks were centered and elevated so the new bridge floor could be constructed under it.

The current bridge consists of two reinforced Baltimore truss sections built on the original masonry (each weigh 2,300 tons), extended to accomodate the double-deck height, while the west approach was rebuilt as a 132-foot Warren truss such that the bridge is a through structure for the lower deck and a deck structure for the top deck.

The through-truss sections that cross the river have lift jacks to lift it during flood^{[citation needed]}

Construction work was under the direction of J. V. Hanna, chief engineer, and G. E. Tebbetts, bridge engineer of the Kansas City Terminal. The general contractor for the entire project was the Arkansas Bridge Company of Kansas City, MO. The steel work was fabricated by the American Bridge Company at the Gary, IN plant, and was erected by the Kelly Atkinson Construction Company, Chicago, IL.

Location and modern operation[]

Currently nearly all the trackage to the west of the bridge is under control of the Union Pacific. The bridge provides a connection for UP traffic on the KCTR to reach the extensive UP Armourdale classification yard, as well as connections to UP lines to the west (Kansas Subdivision) and northwest (Falls City Subdivision). On the east end, the upper level of the bridge continues to near the Kansas City Union station, while the lower level has connections with additional KCTR trackage and BNSF lines at Santa Fe Junction. This allows access to BNSF Argentine yard as well as the Fort Scott and Emporia Subdivisions to the West and South.

The east end of the bridge is part of a particularly complex railroad infrastructure which involves freight traffic on three levels. Santa Fe Junction on ground level, the upper level of the Highline bridge in the middle and the BNSF Southern Transcon traffic passing on the Argentine Connection elevated viaduct.

Railfaning[]

As of 2022, there are railfan webcams mounted at Santa Fe Junction which can be used to monitor traffic on the east end of the bridge.

References[]

External Links[]

• Historicbridges.org Historical Articles

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