Another massive abandoned truss crosses the Kansas River near Kemper Arena.
The Armourdale Bridge was originally built in 1905 to allow the Rock Island connections into Kansas City.
The design chosen featured three spans, not unlike the KCS Bridge Upstream.
A pair of Pennsylvania Through Truss spans create the main spans. Each of these spans feature 12 panels and pinned connections.
In addition, a smaller 7-panel riveted Baltimore Through Truss span approaches the structure on the east, and was added in 1912 when the channel was widened. The entire bridge rests on concrete substructures.
Little has changed since the 1912 configuration of this bridge. The Kansas River has a reputation for flooding quite often. Fortunately for this bridge, it has survived every major flood largely intact. A screw jack lift system was installed in the 1940s.
The bridge is easy to access, yet is also hard. The bridge has been permanently raised into lifted position. Both ends of the river are fairly accessible.
The bridge is in fair condition. Should this bridge ever be reused; it would likely have to have some rehabilitation work put into it.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant due to the large span length and great historic integrity.
As of 2021, plans are in the works to reconstruct this bridge into a gathering spot, featuring an event area, restaurants and a trail.
The photo above is an overview from the east bank. The author hopes to return for better photos in the near future.
| Upstream | Highline Bridge |
| Downstream | UP Kansas River Bridge #2 |