Looking west
Things don't look good for repairs
Photo taken by Clark Vance in September 2012
BH Photo #238888
Tax map shows all property west of the bridge owned by Kansas City.
Wooden bridge removed on December 16, 2013.
As of today the bridge has been cleared of the blue boards and all the construction fencing removed. There is a closure sign but it's mounted so as to be readily removed for vehicle access.
Strange. I had read that the houses had been bought out so the bridge could be removed. Some were pretty nice places. Someone spent some money doing that. There are still city pages referring to replacement planning, so who is the new bridge for??
Bridge is open to traffic (although there is no traffic to go anywhere). I visited this location on 11/22/12 (Thanksgiving Day), and it was still open. All of the houses on the other end have been removed, the lots cleared and cleaned. I was hesitant about going over it at first, but after I turned around and went back over it was still rated for 14 tons.
Not sure what is going on, but I have a feeling the bridge is going to be removed. There used to be ten houses on the west side of the tracks, but on Google Earth (newly updated) shows they all have been removed, hence why the excavator is blocking the other end of the bridge (which also can be seen). Since there are no more houses over there, there would be no reason for the bridge.
Design for a replacement. I hope the $600k price is for the proposed bridge, not just the design study. Completion date is 2007 so if it's for the bridge they are running behind.
Closed today with an excavator on the west side. Probably set for replacement soon.
If newer or more pictures of this bridge are needed, I would be glad to get them. I travel in and out of Swope Park frequently so it would be easy enough for me to head north to the bridge. The same applies for any of the bridges in that area.
Why is this bridge not posted on the Historic Bridges site for Missouri? Do you have several photos of this bridge from different elevations or angles? Inquiring modelers want to know!!!
It is not too surprising, from what I read it was more economical to simply buy out those properties on the west side of the bridge, than try and either replace the bridge or build a bypass from the west. It is sad to see a bridge like this go, however, if there should have been a accident on the bridge, that would have created a whole set of other problems. As it was, I doubt there would have been a problem if the fire department could have not been able to cross the bridge.