Highline Bridge

View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Engineering News Record; Volume 80, Issue 9)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Engineering News Record; Volume 80, Issue 9)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Railway Age; Volume 64, Issue 10)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Railway Review; Volume 67, Issue 8)

Located at the end of Osage Avenue in Kansas City, this unique double deck truss bridge carries the Kansas City Terminal Railway across the Kansas River. The first bridge at this location was constructed in 1883, and consisted of four 180-foot wood and iron through truss spans. This bridge would be destroyed in the Flood of 1903, and the KCT would use other crossings for several years, until a suitable replacement could be constructed. A permanent single track bridge was constructed in 1907, and consisted of two 300-foot Pennsylvania through truss spans, approached by a 132-foot Pratt through truss span at the west end. The 1907 bridge was constructed on concrete piers, which were built for two tracks.

After the new Kansas City Union Station was completed in 1914, a large complex of viaducts and connecting tracks were planned to connect to the station. Prior to the construction of this viaduct, railroad operations in the area were extremely congested. By 1917, construction had begun on the network of viaducts which would connect the Kansas River bridge to various railroad yards. In addition, the Kansas River bridge would be replaced with a larger structure capable of handling the higher traffic demand. The bridge was rebuilt with a pair of 300-foot, 12-panel pin-connected Baltimore through truss spans, built for two decks, each with two tracks. In addition, a 132-foot, 6-panel riveted Warren truss span would be constructed on the west end to replace the old single track span. This Warren span functions as a through truss for the lower level, and as a deck truss for the upper level. The new bridge reused the double track capable piers from the previous bridge. During the construction, the new bridge would be constructed around the old bridge. Once the lower level was complete and open to traffic, the old bridge would be removed and the upper level installed. The old 300-foot spans were sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road) for reuse at the Missouri River bridge at Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Double deck railroad bridges are exceptionally uncommon. Typically, double deck bridges for railroad use utilized railroad traffic on one level, with roadway traffic on the other level. The two main spans of the bridge are fabricated from three different grades of steel, an uncommon feature for the era. The members of the trusses are heavily built up, and the bridge utilizes a ballast deck on both levels. Repeated flooding led to the installation of a screw jack lift system in 1963, which raises the bridge 10.5 feet when flooding. This type of lift system can be found on other railroad bridges across the Kansas River in Kansas City. Further improvements were made to the bridge in 2005, when extensive strengthening to the members of the trusses was made. These improvements restored full service to the bridge.

This bridge serves as the principal component of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct, with long viaducts approaching the main bridge on either side. On the west end of the bridge, the lower deck connects to a number of railroad yards and industrial tracks, while the upper level connects to the Union Pacific Armstrong Yard and the former Missouri Pacific yard, as well as the Union Pacific Kansas and Falls City Subdivisions. The east end of the bridge connects to the BNSF Railway Emporia and Fort Scott Subdivisions, as well as to the Kansas City Union Station. These connections make the bridge one of the busiest across the Kansas River, and possibly one of the busiest railroad bridges in the Kansas City area. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, and continues to serve heavy railroad traffic. Access to the bridge is largely limited to adjacent levees, which are difficult to access. The author hopes that the Kansas City trail system will be expanded, allowing for better views of this unique bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being nationally significant, due to the extremely unusual design.