Paseo Bridge

The Paseo Bridge was a suspension bridge over the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri. Before being replaced by the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, it carried Interstates 29 and 35 and U.S. Route 71 over the river. It was named for The Paseo, a boulevard that connected with the bridge to the south, and continues to do so with the Bond Bridge.

Paseo Bridge
Bridge from upriver side on the ASB Bridge in February 2008. Worlds of Fun is in the background.
Coordinates	39°07′22″N 94°33′57″W
Carries	4 lanes of I-29 / I-35 / US 71
Crosses	Missouri River
Locale	Kansas City, Missouri
Official name	Paseo Bridge
Maintained by	MoDOT
ID number	6674
Characteristics
Design	Suspension
Longest span	616.0 feet
History
Opened	August 13, 1954; 70 years ago (August 13, 1954)[1]
Closed	November 19, 2010; 13 years ago (November 19, 2010)
Location

View from Front Street showing beginning construction for the caisson of the replacemement bridge in July 2008.

The bridge and its downstream replacement in December 2009

History

The bridge was built in 1954^[2] and was rehabilitated in 1984 and 2005. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the bridge handled 95,000 vehicles a day before its retirement,^[3] making it the most used bridge in Kansas City. The Paseo Bridge also served as the main connection between Kansas City and the Northland (the area of Kansas City north of the Missouri River). In its early history it was a toll bridge and the toll was 10 cents per trip. At the time it was built, it was the longest self anchored suspension bridge ever constructed worldwide and one of a small number of such bridges.

MoDOT replaced the bridge in 2010 with the Christopher S. Bond Bridge. Construction of the new cable-stayed bridge began in April 2008 and was completed several months ahead of schedule. The Paseo Bridge was open to traffic during the construction, gradually shifting the flow onto the new Bond Bridge until all lanes of the new bridge were open. Vehicle traffic across the Paseo Bridge ceased on November 19, 2010, and demolition work on the bridge began shortly thereafter.^[4]

See also

• Transport portal
• Engineering portal
• United States portal
• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Missouri
• List of crossings of the Missouri River

References

1. Gubbels, Thomas J. (2008). "Paseo Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 22. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
2. Baughn, James. "Paseo Bridge". Historic Bridges of the U.S. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
3. "Paseo Bridge will close for $20.9M rehab". Kansas City Business Journal. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
4. Cronkleton, Robert (19 November 2010). "Paseo Bridge goes into retirement Friday". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 19 November 2010.

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paseo Bridge
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MO-116, "Paseo Bridge, Spanning Missouri River on Interstate 29/35, Kansas City, Jackson County, MO", 19 photos, 75 data pages, 2 photo caption pages