KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Standing tall at 12-feet, the Independence Avenue bridge near Wilson Avenue is undefeated when going up against tractor trailers.
The latest victim to the fall to the bridge was a tractor trailer that flipped on its side on Jan. 28.
2-0 this month for the Independence Ave. Bridge 💪🏼
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) January 28, 2022
No injuries, but firefighters helped the driver get out this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/cazkWeZdAm
“There's much to joke about with Independence Avenue bridge and it is the undefeated champion, but we have to make sure people stay safe," KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
Collisions have been happening for years and there have been a number of road blocks along the way in the plans to solve the issue.
In 2019, KSHB 41 News spoke with Eli Aguliar, who has lived near the bridge for decades.
“For twenty years that I’ve been living here in Kansas City, this bridge is still the same," he said.
The bridge is owned by the Kansas City Terminal Railroad, therefore, conversations regarding solutions involve multiple parties.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has merged into the conversation.
MoDOT completed a project to resign U.S. Highway 24 off of Independence Avenue in an effort to limit trucks through the area.
Lucas weighed in on some things that can be done to prevent collisions from continuing.
“In terms of infrastructure plans, looking at warning sings in advance, making sure that we actually, even if we’re looking at types of rerouting, road improvements in the area, those are all things that are being evaluated," Lucas said. "So, that we can actually find some way so that we don’t see this on and on again."
According to a city spokesperson, the city is in the evaluation stage of looking at possible solutions, exploring options that range from low-cost solutions to larger capital improvements.
