The most unique small bridge in Kansas City is the Freight House Bridge (also known as the Union Station Pedestrian Bridge, Michael R. Haverty Bridge and formerly the Pencoyd Bridge).
Originally, the bridge was constructed as a three span structure located near the Second Hannibal Bridge.
The span was built in 1892 to carry portions of the Kansas City Belt Railway over the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy tracks. The skewed structure rested on stone substructures.
However, the bridge was abandoned by 1960 as the KCT consolidated operations. The bridge would sit largely unused and become a liability issue for the railroad and the city.
In 2006, fundraising began to move two spans of the old Pencoyd Bridge to the Kansas City Union Station. The bridge would serve as a bridge over the very busy railroad tracks which serve the Union Station.
The Kansas City Southern would donate the bridge to the city as a way for the bridge "to make getting places easier again".
Two spans of the bridge would be moved across Kansas City, set onto new concrete substructures and rehabilitated. The project was featured on Mega Movers.
The bridge currently consists of a pair of pin connected Pratt Through Trusses. The larger span is seven panels long; while the shorter span is only five. The shorter span is more unique, featuring laced endposts.
In addition, the bridge connects directly to an elevator down to street level.
Since its original construction, the Union Station has also become a major hub of activity in Kansas City. It has a science museum, a pair of theaters, restaurant and other amenities.
The crossroads area across the bridge is a neighborhood full of art, revitalized history and food. The bridge is expected to see an increase in traffic as the surrounding region continues to develop.
In 2012, the bridge was rededicated to honor Michael R. Haverty; who donated the bridge on behalf of Kansas City Southern and helped spearhead the project.
While the bridge is a success story; it does have two minor points the author wish would have been handled differently. The first is the fencing. The bridge was supposed to have a "cattle chute" feel. Unfortunately, this obscures views of the structure and the surrounding areas.
The other wish of the author is to redo the substructures of the bridge so they are more appropriate for the period of the truss. This may include rebuilding them with faux stone.
Despite the two major knocks against the bridge, the author has ranked it as highly significant. It is an apparent success story, which the author hopes is repeated with other structures in the future.
The photo above is an overview looking from the Union Depot. A series of photos on relocating the bridge can be seen here.