After years of anticipation, a 121-year-old bridge with a $20 million makeover is now open to the public

Sixty feet above the Kansas River, a 121-year-old railroad bridge has found a second life. Reborn as a $20 million gathering place for dining, events and riverfront exploring nearly a decade in the making, the Rock Island Bridge officially opened on April 1.

Kansas City magazine toured the space—which is technically accessed in Missouri but spans the river to Kansas—with CEO Michael Zeller, whose company Flying Truss (the name a play on the famous “flying buttresses” of cathedrals and also the bridge’s trusses), has a 66-year lease on the bridge with Kansas City, Kansas. 

Zeller describes the bridge as a “gift from about 200 Kansas Citians to our city,” a collected effort from investors, civic leaders, elected officials, volunteers, lenders, companies and more. “I got to be the leader of the band, but it took a band to get it done,” he says.

The $20 million project was funded 60 percent through private investment, 30 percent from state and local government funding and 10 percent from philanthropic donations to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK. 

Originally constructed in 1905, the bridge has four main areas: the east-side entrance, the River House restaurant, an open-air public space and the upper-level event venue American Royal Hall. The bridge’s towering steel beams frame the open-air blue sky and hanging bulb lights create unique sightlines, making the bridge not only an interesting walkway to traverse but a destination in and of itself. 

Structurally, it is made of three trusses. The original two are each 100 yards long, and a third, smaller truss, was added in 1921. It is through the smaller truss that visitors can enter the bridge under a neon sign made by Hammer Out Design. It flies high over the bridge, its height and structure reminiscent of a classic drive-in theater sign.

Rock Island Bridge is free to enter and walk across, and Zeller says visitors can also expect fun events, from farmers markets and live musicians to ticketed concerts and more.

Initially set to open in 2024, the bridge faced delays due to numerous factors, including design upgrades, financing challenges, complications working around the levy raise and a decision by the Unified Government to raise the bridge four feet. To further protect the river valley, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also raised the levy by three feet. In response, the Rock Island Bridge was then raised again using lifting gears (originally installed in 1951), a process Zeller says took about three hours for each truss. 

Architecture fans will love how the bridge is highlighted in the new designs. Some outdoor tables encircle the bridge’s beams, for example, and rail lines from the train track are used as footrests for the bridge’s two bars. In American Royal Hall, the top of the bridge is enclosed, allowing for a tall cathedral-style ceiling in the event space. And, Zeller notes, history buffs will be happy to hear that some of the steel in the bridge still bears the stamp of “Carnegie,” a reference to the Carnegie Steel Company that manufactured the original beams.

For bicyclists, walkers and nature lovers, the bridge will connect levee walking paths on both sides of the Kansas River. The Rock Island Bridge is also officially designated a trailhead for the proposed Greenline KC 10-mile-loop path. 

Free parking is available on the east side of the bridge, and Zeller says he expects the west side entrance to open mid-summer, where guests can use the bridge to cross from one side of the Kaw to the other by foot or bike.

Zeller says the best part of the project was seeing so many individuals, organizations and companies come together to support the bridge revitalization effort. “And they are doing it for the right reasons: to create something spectacular for Kansas City that our kids and our grandkids are going to enjoy,” he says.

GO: 1799 American Royal Drive, KCK. Hours vary daily. For more information visit, rockislandkc.com.

Bridge Bites

The bridge offers a few different food and drink experiences. For grub on the go, the Rock Island Eats window sells casual fare like loaded fries, a “river dog” topped with queso and crispy onions, and cocktails such as the Kaw Tide Cooler (Tom’s Town vodka, watermelon juice, lime juice, mint, jalapeño simple syrup and a Tajín rim) and Bourbon on a Bridge (Tom’s Town bourbon, pineapple juice, coconut water, lime juice, simple syrup and angostura bitters).

For a sit-down meal, the River House restaurant offers meals that are more seafood-forward, Zeller says. It is a covered restaurant, but it has open windows for a nice breeze and view of the Kaw. American Royal Hall event-goers can either use the in-house caterers, Una Familia Foods, or bring in a preferred vendor of their own. River House seats about 200 while American Royal Hall accommodates roughly 220 seated or up to 350 standing.

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