The Second Hannibal Bridge is a rail bridge over the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri , connecting Jackson County, Missouri , with Clay County, Missouri .
7-451: Opened in 1917, the bridge replaced the original Hannibal Bridge which crossed the river about 200 feet (61 m) downstream on the northern bank, but at virtually the same location on the southern bank. There are two decks on the bridge: the lower deck carried the railroad and the upper was for vehicular traffic. After the Buck O'Neil Bridge opened in 1956, vehicular traffic was switched over to
14-619: The Kansas River , forcing the swinging span open. This article about a bridge in Missouri is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hannibal Bridge The First Hannibal Bridge was the first permanent rail crossing of the Missouri River and helped establish the City of Kansas (renamed Kansas City, Missouri , in 1889) as a major city and rail center. In its early days, it
21-460: The new span and the auto deck was removed later that year. The bridge is owned and maintained by the BNSF Railway and carries two tracks. A bridge tender at the bridge can open and close the drawspan as well as operate the nearby ASB Bridge , which is also owned by BNSF. The Hannibal Bridge survived the 1951 Kansas City flood after being hit by four river boats that tore loose from the mouth of
28-521: The proposed bridge at the City of Kansas, Joseph Tomlinson contacted Chanute and they corresponded on how best to cross the Missouri River. In October 1867, Chanute hired Tomlinson as the superintendent of superstructure. George S. Morison , who later became a leading bridge designer in North America, apprenticed under the supervision of Tomlinson and Chanute during the construction of the bridge. It
35-514: Was a swing bridge that could open in under two minutes, and had an arched truss design. Construction cost $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 21.8 million in 2023). In 1886, the bridge was severely damaged by a tornado that collapsed a middle span. It was reconstructed and its truss structure was altered from an arch design to a traditional truss design. It was later replaced by the Second Hannibal Bridge 200 feet (61 m) upstream on
42-633: Was built for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad by the Keystone Bridge Company . The completion of the bridge came after a short battle between Leavenworth, Kansas , and the City of Kansas for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge. The bridge was designed by Octave Chanute , who also designed the Kansas City Stockyards and later became a pioneer in aviation . After hearing of
49-596: Was called the Kansas City Bridge . It increased area train traffic, which contributed to the building of Union Depot, the predecessor to the Kansas City Union Station . It was severely damaged by a tornado and replaced in virtually the same location by the Second Hannibal Bridge . Construction started in 1867, shortly after the end of the American Civil War , and was completed in 1869. The bridge
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