The tallest bridge in Missouri will make your head spin

Bridges are structures that span a gap over water or an obstacle such as a canyon. Without them, we would find it much more difficult (and time-consuming) to get around. Most of us take bridges for granted because a bridge is just a part of our modern world, but bridges are incredible engineering feats and many of them are also architecturally beautiful creations, like the tallest bridge in Missouri.

Let’s find out which Missouri Bridge is the tallest, its history, and what wildlife you’ll find nearby.

Missouri’s tallest bridge

Missouri’s tallest bridge is the Christopher S. Bond Bridge in Kansas City. This modern bridge rises 52 feet above the water and its iconic pylon soars a staggering 316 feet into the skyline. It is also called the new Paseo Bridge or Bond Bridge for short. This famous bridge spans the Missouri River in Kansas City. Interstate 29/35 or US 71 will take you across it.

History of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge

Officials announced on November 14, 2007 that they would build the tallest bridge in Missouri to replace the aging Paseo Bridge, which had exceeded its useful life. This new bridge was originally called the New Paseo Bridge before being officially named the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, after former Missouri Governor and US Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond.

Construction began in April 2008. During this time, the Paseo Bridge remained open and traffic was gradually shifted to the new bridge until it was completed. The city fully opened the bridge to traffic in 2010, several months ahead of the due date.

What type of bridge is it?

Bond Bridge is a double-span cable-stayed bridge with a lifespan of 75 years. It has a massive 260 foot tall pylon that attaches it to the ground. It replaced the Paseo suspension bridge in 2010.

Missouri’s tallest bridge increased street capacity, and residents breathed a sigh of relief because traffic was often at a standstill on the Paseo Bridge. There are three lanes on the south side of the Bond Bridge and four lanes northbound. It’s a big climb up the old Paseo Bridge, which only had two lanes of traffic going either way.

This bridge can be expanded to four lanes in each direction without additional widening. This foresight will help manage traffic flow in the future when levels rise or engineering work is required.

The Old Paseo Bridge

The Bond Bridge replaced the old Paseo Bridge in 2010 because Kansas City had outgrown it. Part of its metal base broke in 2003, raising the deck 20 cm and blocking traffic.

The Paseo Bridge was built in 1954 when traffic flow was much slower. At that time it was the longest self-anchoring bridge in the world. Workers improved it in 1984, then again in 2005. It then allowed 95,000 vehicles per day across the Missouri River. Officials say it was the busiest bridge in all of Missouri, but it closed its lanes on November 19, 2010. A construction crew tore it down in July 2011.

Years ago, the Paseo Bridge required 10 cents to maintain, but today there are no tolls on the Bond Bridge.

Modern use

The tallest bridge in Missouri carries 100,000 vehicles a day across the Missouri River.

It was designed by Parsons Corporation and its architect was Bradley Touchstone. The architectural pylon and bridge struts attract much admiration, especially on special occasions when the tower pylon, cables and bridge are illuminated by an array of cannon and LED lights. Locals recommend a stroll along Berkley Riverfront Park to admire its construction.

The 96 meter high pylon of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge made the Federal Aviation Authority think. They warned that the pylon could disrupt flights from Kansas City Downtown Airport, which is just a mile from the bridge. As a result, they changed flights to allow for additional space for aircraft, ensuring more than 700 feet of clearance.

Wildlife near Christopher S. Bond Bridge

100,000 vehicles cross the bridge deck every day, but what’s underneath?

The Missouri River is home to many aquatic wildlife.

Fish species include White Sucker, River Redhorse, Bluegill, Pike, Gizzard Shad, Herring and many species of Catfish. Amphibians, including toads and frogs, hide along the riverbanks alongside turtles and small rodents, but this has not always been the case. Previous levels of pollution have depleted fish stocks so badly that governments and conservation groups have worked hard to improve water quality. As a result, the fish species there have greatly improved.

In the air above, numerous birds watch the hustle and bustle below. Red-tailed hawks hover over the pylon in search of dead animals or small voles and amphibians along the riverbank. These opportunistic birds of prey are distributed throughout North America. American kestrels and mourning doves are also found in abundance.

Temporary visitors to the tallest bridge in Missouri are migratory swallows. It’s common to see these distinctive birds flit around the Bond Bridge pylons while feeding on mosquitoes and bugs attracted to the shelter there.

Migratory swallow species including barn swallows with visible spots on their white forked tails, tree, cliff and sand martins, and northern raspwing. Human structures attract swallows and some build their nests on the underside of the Bond Bridge or in its iconic pylons.

What is the tallest bridge in the US?

How does the tallest bridge in Missouri compare to the tallest bridge in all the states? It’s just hops!

Of the 600,000 bridges in the United States, the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge, which spans the Arkansas River in Canon City, Colorado, is the tallest. This gastric pipette is 955 feet tall! Its towers are 150 m high, and 4,100 steel cables form its base. This stunning bridge was built almost 100 years ago in 1929, but officials are reassuring to say that 250 cables are replaced annually.

Hot on its heels is the 900-foot Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada.

And the tallest bridge in the world?

According to Guinness World Records, it is the Beipanjiang Bridge on the border between Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in China. The deck is 1,854 feet above the Beipan River below. Constructed between 2011 and 2016, this dizzying four-lane cable-stayed bridge spans 4,400 feet.

The highest point in Missouri

If you’re looking for some thrilling heights in Missouri, you might be interested to know that the highest point in the entire state is 1,772 feet down in the Taum Sauk Mountains. It is a prominent ridge in the St Francois Mountains covered by forests, glades and open spaces. There’s a plaque and a five-story lookout tower marking the spot if you fancy a hike.

Numerous animals live in the Taum Sauk mountains. Bird life includes vultures, woodcock, kingfishers and wild turkeys, as well as a variety of butterflies such as the Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopsis cecrops) and Missouri Woodland Swallowtail (Papilio joanae) that flutter on the open plains. Be prepared for black bears, timber rattlesnakes and copperheads, and coyotes if you hike it.

The longest bridge in Missouri

The longest bridge in Missouri is the MacArthur Bridge, which opened in 1912. It’s an 18,261-foot double-decker bridge that unfortunately earned the nickname “Death’s Springboard” because some cars hit the rails and fell. Today it is a railway bridge.

The tallest bridge in Missouri

So we found out that the tallest bridge in Missouri is the iconic cable-stayed Christopher S Bond Bridge in Kansas City, which replaced the revamped Paseo Suspension Bridge in 2010. Her architectural pylon extends 316 feet into the skyline and the deck towers 52 feet over the river below.

Among them live many species of fish, amphibians and rodents, and in the air hawks, kestrels and swallows hunt for prey. Missouri’s tallest bridge handles 100,000 vehicles daily and is future-proof with potential additional lane space that can be built without closing the bridge to traffic. This is a masterpiece of modern engineering.

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