Freight House Pedestrian Bridge

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Located on the north side of the Kansas City Union Station, this historic through truss bridge carries a pedestrian walkway over the Kansas City Terminal Railway. The bridge was originally constructed in 1892 by Pencoyd Bridge & Construction Company as a three span bridge to cross the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy near the Second Hannibal Bridge. At the original location, the bridge utilized three pin-connected Pratt through truss, two 100-foot and a 140-foot span, set onto stone piers, a stone east abutment and a concrete west abutment, and running at a skew. The bridge was known locally as the Pencoyd Bridge. The bridge would be abandoned in 1960, and left abandoned until the bridge was reused at the present location in 2006. The two spans were moved 20 blocks to the new location, and the move required significant coordination. The move of these spans was featured on the show Mega Movers. The center and eastern spans were reused in the new bridge, while the western span was scrapped for unknown reasons.

The Freight House Pedestrian Bridge reused two of the three spans from the Pencoyd Bridge to cross the Kansas City Terminal Railway tracks at the Kansas City Union Station. The south span of the bridge consists of a 140-foot, 7-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss, reused from the western span of the Pencoyd Bridge. This span utilizes solid endposts, a solid top chord, and a pedimented lattice style portal, typical of Pencoyd Bridge spans. The northern span reused the center span, a 100-foot, 5-panel pin connected Pratt through truss. This span utilizes laced endposts, a laced top chord, and the same portal bracing as the larger span. The bridge in its current location is set onto modern concrete substructures. During the reconstruction, the bridge was significantly repaired, painted red and a pedestrian enclosure meant to simulate a livestock pen added. The trusses utilize a standard early-1890s Pencoyd design, with several similar spans constructed for a number of railroads throughout the United States.

Fortunately, this bridge is a rare case of a long abandoned railroad bridge finding a new use. Often, these types of railroad bridges were scrapped, either after railroad traffic ceased to use the bridge, or after sitting abandoned for many years. Railroad bridges are particularly adept for reuse, as their heavy design allows for greater loading capacity than many pedestrian, light traffic or driveway bridges require. While the author is glad the bridge has been beautifully preserved, the pedestrian enclosure blocks much of the beauty of the bridge, and limits views from the bridge. The bridge could be improved by a glass paneling or decorative metal railing, which provides better views of the bridge and surrounding area. Overall, the bridge appears to be in excellent job, and the rehabilitation should allow this bridge to serve pedestrians for years to come. The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the truss design and unique reuse.