This historic Kansas City area bridge could be yours for free. MoDOT is giving it away
Anyone want a historic Kansas City area bridge? It’s free.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking proposals for the relocation and reuse of the Liberty Bend Bridge, which carries the northbound lanes of Missouri 291 over the Missouri River in northern Jackson County.
The transportation department’s Historic Preservation Section is accepting the proposals until Sept. 30, according to the transportation department’s website.
The bridge, which has historic transportation and engineering significance, is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District said in a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.
Under federal law, any state proposing to demolish a historic bridge in a replacement project that uses federal funds must “first make the historic bridge available for donations.” The caveat is that the recipient must agree to maintain the bridge and features that give it historic significance, MoDOT said on its Free Bridges! webpage. The recipient must also assume future legal and financial responsibility for the bridge.
Up to 100% of the cost of what would have been spent to demolish the bridge is potentially available to reimburse recipients for removing the bridge. Funding is not available for those who need the bridge removed and set aside for later pick up.
The 1,882-foot-long bridge was built in 1949 when a new channel was cut for the Missouri River. The river was being rerouted to eliminate a long, tight bend in that area. The bridge was built over dry land prior to opening the new channel.
Sverdrup and Parcel of St. Louis designed the bridge, a cantilever Warren through truss bridge, with a design based upon equilateral triangles. It was built by Mount Vernon Bridge Co. of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
“The Liberty Bend bridge is an excellent example of a major river bridge in Missouri and as an early example of a superhighway design, which became popular in the mid-twentieth century,” MoDOT said. “The Liberty Bend bridge is also associated with efforts to divert the Missouri River to remove a large bend and straighten out the river channel.”
With the rerouting of the Missouri River, the Liberty Bend Bridge replaced the original bridge that was built in 1927. That bridge remained in use, carrying traffic from the river bottoms up to Arsenal Hill. It was dismantled in the early 1970s when a new four-lane divided Missouri 291 highway was built east of the old highway, according to Wikipedia.
In 1995, construction began on a bridge to carry the southbound lanes of Missouri 291 over the Missouri River. That bridge was completed six years later.
Those interested in the bridge can contact Tyler Holladay, MoDOT’s intermediate historic preservation specialist, for further information or to submit a proposal at Tyler.Holladay@modot.mo.gov, 573-526-3598 or P. O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Replacing the Liberty Bend Bridge is part of the 2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), said Brook Rohlfing, a spokeswoman with MoDOT’s Kansas City District.
Since the project is a few years away, it will enter the environmental phase soon, she said. There isn’t a set timeline or plan for the construction of the replacement bridge, although construction is expected to take place in 2027.
The replacement project is expected to cost $87.5 million, according to the improvement plan.
