North Kansas Avenue Bridge

The North Kansas Avenue Bridge is a four lane, automobile and pedestrian crossing of the Kansas River at Topeka, Kansas, U.S.A. The bridge connects downtown Topeka to North Topeka. It is open to traffic.

North Kansas Avenue Bridge
Coordinates39.0623°N 95.6682°W / 39.0623; -95.6682
Carries4 lanes of Kansas Avenue
CrossesKansas River
LocaleDowntown Topeka, Kansas
Characteristics
DesignUnknown

The North Kansas Avenue Bridge opened in 1967. It replaced the Melan Arch Bridge, which had collapsed two years prior, killing one motorist.[1] The Melan Arch Bridge opened in 1898 and was the only bridge to North Topeka until 1938.[1][2]

Unlike the Melan Arch Bridge, the North Topeka side of the North Kansas Avenue Bridge does not connect directly with Kansas Avenue; it instead leads to N.E. Quincy St. This caused traffic to bypass the North Topeka business district on Kansas Avenue, which local merchants claim led to the decline of the business district.[1][3] A fly-off ramp was built in 2004 to connect the bridge to the Kansas Avenue business district and Great Overland Station.[4]

References
  1. Hooper, Michael (August 5, 2007). "1965 Flashback: Melan Arch Bridge tumbles". Topeka Capital-Journal. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  2. "Topeka Boulevard bridge — Over 70 years of history". Topeka Capital-Journal. July 27, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  3. "North Topeka – Going uptown". Topeka Capital-Journal. May 19, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  4. Henrikson, Alicia (May 19, 2006). "Negotiations continue for fly-off buyout". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved February 8, 2013.


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