By 1867, a 21 mile extension would be added to the north end of the line, bringing it as far as Atchison.
The entire line paralleled the Missouri River, along the west (Kansas) bank.
By 1880, the Kansas City, Leavenworth and Atchison Railway would come in control of both lines. Later the same year, the KCL&A would be merged into the Missouri Pacific Railway.
The MP built a considerable amount of trackage through the area with predecessor companies. The line would eventually be extended to Omaha and become the northernmost point on the Missouri Pacific.
The MP was reorganized as the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917. It operated this as a mainline to Omaha.
The Missouri Pacific did well financially compared to similar railroads. In 1982, it merged with Union Pacific and Western Pacific; although still remained a separate railroad.
In 1997, the UP fully engulfed the Missouri Pacific. Today, Union Pacific operates the corridor as its Falls City Subdivision.
06/26/21
Crossing under the freeway viaduct of I-670 are a pair of massive through truss structures, carrying almost all Union Pacific traffic from east to west.
This span is the northern of the two, and is right alongside the Former Union Pacific Bridge.
The structure here was originally built in 1900 to replace a single track structure that was aged. The bridge built in 1900 contained a trio of 175 foot Pratt Through Truss spans.
This bridge was allegedly the only structure over the entire course of the Kansas River to survive the 1903 flood intact.
By 1911, engineers had made the determination that the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific bridges must be rebuilt with an additional 196 foot span on each end. In addition, a small I-Beam span was added along the backside of the levee at a later date.
Both bridges would be shifted using falsework and a very small margin for error. More about this process can be read Here.
Currently, the structure consists of a trio of 7-panel, pin connected Pratt Through Trusses. These spans were originally constructed in 1900. An 8-panel truss of the same design was added to the west end in 1911; and appears very similar to the 1903 spans. The bridge rests on substructures built in 1911.
The Kansas River has a reputation for flooding quite often. Fortunately for this bridge, it has survived every major flood largely intact. The bridge was raised several feet after the mega flood of 1951; which destroyed bridges in Topeka.
The bridge remains in an overall good condition, and is heavily used. The bridge has a high level of security, with cameras in every direction. The author accessed this bridge on the east end, by walking inside the levees. Plans are in the works for a trail alongside the west bank of the river, which would make access significantly easier.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant due to the large span length and great historic integrity.
The photo above is an overview from the east bank. The author hopes to return for better photos in the near future.
| Upstream | UP Kansas River Bridge #2 |
| Downstream | Abandoned Kansas River Bridge. |