ASB Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Armour-Swift-Burlington (ASB) Bridge, also known as the North Kansas City Bridge, is a rail crossing over the Missouri River
in Kansas City, Missouri
that formerly also handled car traffic.
The piers were built in 1890. However, later that year, lack of funding prevented the bridge from being built. In 1909, John Alexander Low Waddell
designed the current bridge and construction started. The bridge is one of two of this type that had car traffic on Route 9 on the upper level, and rail traffic on the lower level. The lower deck could be raised to permit riverboats to pass without interrupting car traffic on top. This design allowed the hangers from the lower deck to go through the truss members of the upper deck.
It was built by a combination of Armour Packing Company
, Swift & Company
, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
.
In 1987 the Heart of America Bridge
bridge opened to the east to replace the vehicular portion.
In 1996 the remaining part of the ASB was designated as a national landmark in civil engineering. The bridge is now owned by the BNSF Railway
. The ASB has a 428-foot main span, and makes it the ninth longest vertical lift
draw bridge in the United States.
It is also a tourist attraction, as many people visit it each year.
This is also one of two of this type ever built.
Nine stone masonry piers built, J.A.L. Waddell did not agree with piers, funding ceased and the piers would sit unused until 1909.
1909:
The companies of Armour Packing House, Swift and Company, and Burlington Northern railroad put in funds to build bridge.
Piers shaved to ten feet above high water mark, J.A.L. Waddell created a new design, work begins.
December 28, 1911:
Bridge opened to traffic, two lanes of automobile on upper level, one track of railroad on lower.
January 1913:
Electric interurban cars begin use of streetcar rails on upper deck.
May 2, 1927:
South approach span damaged in fire, replaced later that month.
August 1927:
Bridge taken over by Missouri State Highway Department and tolls removed. Bridge floor replaced.
1932:
Steel girder span over Second Street replaced.
1948:
Bridge deck replaced, repairs and new lights added.
Streetcar rails removed, and opened to four lanes of traffic.
1949:
Collars placed around river piers to prevent rust.
1950:
Bridge cleaned and repainted.
1951:
Bridge survives 1951 flood.
1952:
North approach widened.
1966:
North approach widened and resurfaced.
1967:
Bridge deck repaired.
1981-1982:
Repair of girder lines on downstream side of railroad deck.
1987:
Heart of America Bridge
opened to the east, upper auto deck closed to all traffic.
1988-1989:
Upper deck removed, and bridge given to Burlington Northern railroad.
1996:
Bridge added as a national landmark in civil engineering for being only two of that type ever built.
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
that formerly also handled car traffic.
The piers were built in 1890. However, later that year, lack of funding prevented the bridge from being built. In 1909, John Alexander Low Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell was an American civil engineer and prolific bridge designer, with more than a thousand structures to his credit in the United States, Canada, as well as Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, and New Zealand...
designed the current bridge and construction started. The bridge is one of two of this type that had car traffic on Route 9 on the upper level, and rail traffic on the lower level. The lower deck could be raised to permit riverboats to pass without interrupting car traffic on top. This design allowed the hangers from the lower deck to go through the truss members of the upper deck.
Philip Danforth Armour
Philip Danforth Armour, Sr. was an American businessman who founded Armour and Company, an American meatpacking firm.-Biography:...
, Swift & Company
Gustavus Franklin Swift
Gustavus Franklin Swift founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death...
, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
.
In 1987 the Heart of America Bridge
Heart of America Bridge
The Heart of America Bridge is a vehicular girder bridge over the Missouri River, in Kansas City, Missouri. It carries Route 9. It was the vehicular replacement for the upper level of the ASB Bridge, and runs next to it a few hundred yards downstream...
bridge opened to the east to replace the vehicular portion.
In 1996 the remaining part of the ASB was designated as a national landmark in civil engineering. The bridge is now owned by the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
. The ASB has a 428-foot main span, and makes it the ninth longest vertical lift
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
draw bridge in the United States.
It is also a tourist attraction, as many people visit it each year.
This is also one of two of this type ever built.
History
1890:Nine stone masonry piers built, J.A.L. Waddell did not agree with piers, funding ceased and the piers would sit unused until 1909.
1909:
The companies of Armour Packing House, Swift and Company, and Burlington Northern railroad put in funds to build bridge.
Piers shaved to ten feet above high water mark, J.A.L. Waddell created a new design, work begins.
December 28, 1911:
Bridge opened to traffic, two lanes of automobile on upper level, one track of railroad on lower.
January 1913:
Electric interurban cars begin use of streetcar rails on upper deck.
May 2, 1927:
South approach span damaged in fire, replaced later that month.
August 1927:
Bridge taken over by Missouri State Highway Department and tolls removed. Bridge floor replaced.
1932:
Steel girder span over Second Street replaced.
1948:
Bridge deck replaced, repairs and new lights added.
Streetcar rails removed, and opened to four lanes of traffic.
1949:
Collars placed around river piers to prevent rust.
1950:
Bridge cleaned and repainted.
1951:
Bridge survives 1951 flood.
1952:
North approach widened.
1966:
North approach widened and resurfaced.
1967:
Bridge deck repaired.
1981-1982:
Repair of girder lines on downstream side of railroad deck.
1987:
Heart of America Bridge
Heart of America Bridge
The Heart of America Bridge is a vehicular girder bridge over the Missouri River, in Kansas City, Missouri. It carries Route 9. It was the vehicular replacement for the upper level of the ASB Bridge, and runs next to it a few hundred yards downstream...
opened to the east, upper auto deck closed to all traffic.
1988-1989:
Upper deck removed, and bridge given to Burlington Northern railroad.
1996:
Bridge added as a national landmark in civil engineering for being only two of that type ever built.
External links
- ASCE History
- Survey number HAER MO-2 - Armour, Swift, Burlington Bridge, Kansas City, Jackson County, MO