KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 12-foot Independence Avenue bridge in northeast Kansas City, Missouri, is infamous for the amount of trucks that crash into it.
At least 40 trucks have collided with the bridge since 2020, according to KCMO police.
RELATED | 'The truck eating bridge': Crews start warning curtain project for Independence Avenue bridge
Crashes occur so frequently that the citywide community has nicknamed the bridge the "Truck Eating Bridge."
Despite attempts by the city to decrease collisions — including flashing lights, signage and warning curtains — the community said it's not enough, so local artists are taking the issue into their own creative hands.
"Clearly, the curtain we put up did not help. It blends in too much because it's gray, it wasn't bright enough," said artist Fai Beal.
Kansas City, Missouri, installed the curtain in February 2024. Six days later, a truck collided with the curtain and damaged it.
A spokesperson with Kansas City, Missouri, said between the installation and April 2, there were no crashes into the bridge.
The city is currently waiting for new parts for the curtain.
On Saturday, Bobbi Baker-Hughes, CEO and President of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, led an event for local artists to gather at the bridge and envision a solution: a mural.
“If there’s art here, the trucks will pay more attention to the bridge itself and see the sign," Beal said.
Roughly 30 artists attended the event, but the city will only choose one sketch to come to life. It must be Truck Eating Bridge-themed.
“I have seen on Facebook when this idea came out, several people had said, ‘I want to see that, I want to see a monster face eating a bridge or a truck driving into a black hole,'" Beal said.
The mural will be funded by the city through Rebuild KC Neighborhood Grants.
“We do believe that murals and art, it’s an economic development tool, and it’s a great way to celebrate the artists and the talent that we have here in the Historic Northeast," Baker-Hughes said.
The mural is expected to be completed by late summer.
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