Kansas City’s Rock Island Bridge entertainment district delays grand opening

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The highly anticipated Rock Island Bridge entertainment area will not open until Spring.

Developers first said the new coffee shops, bars, restaurants and event space added to the abandoned railroad bridge would open in this summer.

The delays are necessary to make sure things are in place and the grand open goes as smoothly as possible, according to developers, including Rock Island Bridge CEO Mike Zeller.

“Going first is rarely simple or straightforward, and this is compounded by the need to navigate the US Army Corps levee raise going on at both ends of the bridge. But we’re on the 20-yard line, and this gives us the time to ensure everything is running smoothly for our guests, and at a standard that this national-level project requires,” Zeller said.

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The Corps Kansas City district office provided KCTV 5 with a statement on raising the levees around the bridge

“We have been coordinating closely with the Rock Island Bridge (RIB) team for a number of years and have ensured that access is maintained to at least one end of the bridge during our construction efforts. We recently adjusted our construction schedule to construct sections of floodwall ahead of schedule to allow for RIB to construct their utility connections. We have also adjusted our overall construction schedule to accommodate work and access on the RIB. Construction is very dynamic and schedules are always changing. We will continue to work with the RIB team and try to accommodate their schedule while safely completing our mission to deliver a high-quality project that will significantly lessen flood risk to the Argentine, Armourdale and West Bottoms communities.”

Zeller also mentioned that the bridge will close every January and February during Kansas City’s winter. He said developers didn’t want to open businesses on the bridge only to close them a few weeks later for winter.

“This is a barn-raising effort to create something first here in Kansas City, with people from across the community pulling together to get it done. We can’t wait to celebrate with you all this spring - over the river!” Zeller said.

Developers broke ground on the project in May 2023, to turn an abandoned railroad bridge into the new area.

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Still, businesses in the area, like Vintage Source and Relics Co-Owner Dan Posch, were looking forward to the development this summer for the opportunities it could bring to their stores.

“Obviously a little bit bummed out because we were looking forward to the additional foot traffic,” Posch said. “But we know that there’s a lot of stuff coming in 2025.”

Big projects like the Rock Island Bridge and other construction happening in the area do have the neighborhood looking forward to perhaps a similar metamorphosis that the Crossroads saw decades ago.

Fetch Retail Store Co-Owner Patrick Froman has been located in the West Bottoms for seven years, and he likes the path that the neighborhood is taking.

“It’s something different that gives Kansas City another option,” Froman said. “It’s so uniquely different that I think that makes it so exciting, because, for one thing, it’s a unique experience.”

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