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
CarriesPedestrians, motor vehicles
CrossesKansas River
LocaleDowntown Topeka, Kansas
Characteristics
DesignUnknown
No. of lanes4
History
Construction start1965
Construction end1967
Location

The North Kansas Avenue Bridge opened in 1967. It replaced the Melan Arch Bridge, which had collapsed two years prior on July 2, 1965, killing one motorist.[1][2] The Melan Arch Bridge opened in 1898 and was the only bridge to North Topeka until 1938.[1][3]

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][4] A fly-off ramp known as the "Curtis Flyoff" was built in 2004 to connect the bridge to the Kansas Avenue business district and Great Overland Station.[5]

References
  1. Hooper, Michael (August 5, 2007). "1965 Flashback: Melan Arch Bridge tumbles". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  2. "Man Is Killed in Topeka As Downtown Bridge Falls" (PDF). The New York Times. United Press International. July 3, 1965. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  3. "Topeka Boulevard bridge — Over 70 years of history". The Topeka Capital-Journal. July 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  4. "North Topeka – Going uptown". The Topeka Capital-Journal. May 19, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  5. Henrikson, Alicia (May 19, 2006). "Negotiations continue for fly-off buyout". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Archived from the original on May 14, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2013.


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