OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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GRID
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by GRID »

KCPowercat wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:24 pm What exists in another city that you are thinking best case for a saved BOB would be. Right now to me it's a maybe cool thing to do but not even in the same sport as the other benefits like a north loop removal, 9 highway to grade, south loop cap, etc.
I'm not sure anything exists like what is potentially viable for the BOB. The closest thing to this might be the Highline in NYC. There are plenty of similar projects in the planning and construction phases including the 11th St Bridge in DC.

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When all this first started, I was just hoping to see the BOB be converted to a pedestrian, bike bridge. There are tons of examples of bridges as big or bigger than the BOB being retrofitted like that. However if KC thinks they can do a full blown park, that's even better.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by KCPowercat »

The new bridge will have a ped bike path though.

Thanks for the examples. So hard to mentally compare a high line to anything KC would do. Just never going to be that and setting ourselves up for disappoinment.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by KCPowercat »

I do like that DC example. That's also connecting two urban areas. We don't have that luxury with this project. That project reminds me of the west bottoms kaw bridge project
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

KCPowercat wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:54 pm I do like that DC example. That's also connecting two urban areas. We don't have that luxury with this project. That project reminds me of the west bottoms kaw bridge project
Seems that bridge will be more of a destination in and of itself though. They’ve mentioned they’ll have a trail connection, but cyclists will still be made to dismount bikes to go across, and there will be more business activation. A trail between BOB and WBB could serve to be a one-of-a-kind attraction that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the U.S. though.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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Yeah, I don't think the highline is a good comparison at all. I just named it because it's kind of the same idea of re-purposing old infrastructure.

As a cyclist myself and somebody that uses this type of infrastructure in cities everywhere, it's about creating multiple and contrasting river crossings. If you have the new bridge, the old bridge, the HOA bridge etc, you could build one hell of a parks system on both sides of the river and all of those bridges collectively would create a bigger destination than just going back and forth on one bridge. You have a full blown downtown recreational destination.

This is why I'm not so sure it has to be this fancy linear park thing. I was thinking something that cost a bit more than tearing it down. I mean something like the Little Island also in NYC is quite amazing. Not sure if you have been, but it's a park on what used to be an old pier. It's now a top attraction in all of Manhattan. I have been a few times. It really is neat, but it too is tied to bike trails the Highline etc.

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Obviously KCMO is not going to do something like the Little Island and the city may not even be able to pull off a full blown park and keep it going with events etc. KCMO will need to figure out how to properly maintain stuff like that.

But KC should really think about doing something like what they have in Richmond VA and man other cities. Multiple bridges crossing the rivers connecting parks and different districts together. They are massively popular. Here are some pics of the Richmond Bridges:

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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 10:03 pm
KCPowercat wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:54 pm I do like that DC example. That's also connecting two urban areas. We don't have that luxury with this project. That project reminds me of the west bottoms kaw bridge project
Seems that bridge will be more of a destination in and of itself though. They’ve mentioned they’ll have a trail connection, but cyclists will still be made to dismount bikes to go across, and there will be more business activation. A trail between BOB and WBB could serve to be a one-of-a-kind attraction that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the U.S. though.
Yeah, with the WBB and the BOB, you really have some major momentum to finally do something pretty amazing with the MO and KS riverfronts and levees. Then when you starting thinking about ways to tie all that to other park infrastructure like the 670 deck or north loop park, downtown KC starts to become much more than just buildings.

Come to DC any weekend. There are thousands of people on bikes in the city's parks and trails systems. Recreation is literally one of the best things about DC but most people that don't live there have no idea because it's not near the mall area. Philly and NYC and Boston are the same way. Urban areas tend to have awesome stuff like this. KC needs to catch up.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by moderne »

Anyone have any idea what degree of slope BOB has? Are there any examples of a bridge with a slope converted similar to what is contemplated?
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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They also need to make sure they do the access points right. Don't just do stairs, but make the access ramps part of the attraction. An example of that would be the new pedestrian Bridge in Louisville. Well old bridge, but newly repurposed.

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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by moderne »

There was quite a crowd on a summer week night on the Louisville bridge when the stern wheel paddle boat I was on sailed under it last June.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by FangKC »

Imagine the use the bridge would get during air shows at Wheeler Downtown Airport or Independence Day fireworks shows.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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moderne wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 10:43 pm There was quite a crowd on a summer week night on the Louisville bridge when the stern wheel paddle boat I was on sailed under it last June.
Yeah, it's pretty popular. It's just a pedestrian bridge, but there are typically street performers on it and and stuff.

There are some night clubs on the Indiana side now that have live music, never been to them, but you can hear multiple bands playing from the riverfront area when crossing the bridge. Something like that could happen in the Harlem area.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by WoodDraw »

The problem is there is nothing in Harlem. Like kcp said, we’re getting a pedestrian and bike path.

I just think by definition a bridge should connect things, and I’m not sure “grid biking around kc” falls within that.

Sustaining an active park seems expensive, and I can’t figure out how it’ll be activated. I go to the river occasionally, but I can’t see myself walking half way across a bridge to…turn around?

I know, think bigger, but we shouldn’t build stuff if we can’t activate it. And I’m sorry, I don’t see Harlem becoming a recreational center.

I love the thought and ideas being put into this, but I still struggle to support giving it money.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by TheLastGentleman »

Is everyone on here on the city payroll? I’m not sure what the massive skepticism of KCMO spending money on this is. I say the city needs to go for it. If it somehow turns into a disaster, you all can have fun rigging the dynamite that blasts it into the river yourself. KC is in a position that it needs whatever interesting public attractions it can get
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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TheLastGentleman wrote: Fri Feb 04, 2022 1:10 am Is everyone on here on the city payroll? I’m not sure what the massive skepticism of KCMO spending money on this is. I say the city needs to go for it. If it somehow turns into a disaster, you all can have fun rigging the dynamite that blasts it into the river yourself. KC is in a position that it needs whatever interesting public attractions it can get
I'd focus on the bike lane aspect of it the most. Getting the bikers right across the river here could be huge for us to step up our bike game.
Last edited by AlkaliAxel on Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by AlkaliAxel »

WoodDraw wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:56 pm
I know, think bigger, but we shouldn’t build stuff if we can’t activate it. And I’m sorry, I don’t see Harlem becoming a recreational center.

I love the thought and ideas being put into this, but I still struggle to support giving it money.
I pretty much agree with this. I think we need to focus on activating dead parks within the loop before we even worry about this bridge. And I'm talking about Barney The Purple Dinosaur Allis park and the impending south loop cap park. I feel like the smart move is to get these parks activated first before we try to make yet another park. Like, get the chickens in order first.

If we can manage and fill these two parks well then I think we're worthy of building the future "GRID's Bridge Park" on the aforementioned Buck O'Neill bridge.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by WoodDraw »

TheLastGentleman wrote: Fri Feb 04, 2022 1:10 am Is everyone on here on the city payroll? I’m not sure what the massive skepticism of KCMO spending money on this is. I say the city needs to go for it. If it somehow turns into a disaster, you all can have fun rigging the dynamite that blasts it into the river yourself. KC is in a position that it needs whatever interesting public attractions it can get
I guess right now I’d reject the premise that it’s an interesting public attraction.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

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GRID wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 10:09 pm I mean something like the Little Island also in NYC is quite amazing. Not sure if you have been, but it's a park on what used to be an old pier. It's now a top attraction in all of Manhattan. I have been a few times. It really is neat, but it too is tied to bike trails the Highline etc.
Love all of the examples, and looking forward to checking out Little Island at some point, but it was like $250 million and IIRC nearly entirely privately financed. We (most cities) just don't have that kind of philanthropic weight to throw around (High Line similar).

That said, totally agree that if we can find some way to legally open the top of the levee between the proposed Kaw bridge and BOB park, it would (collectively) really be a unique and I think well used recreational destination. That to me would seem to be the lowest hanging fruit and I hope it happens with or without BOB park...
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by moderne »

Not really a levee to put a trail atop along the south side of the MO west of the BOB. It is more of a sea wall atop an embankment.
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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by Cratedigger »

What would be really neat would be a pedestrian bridge to Kaw Point Park over the Missouri. Then connect the Rock Island Bridge with BOB through that, a trail along Leeve Rd and the Riverfront Heritage trail.

Probably wishful thinking but something like this

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Re: OFFICIAL - Buck O'Neil Bridge

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

freedog wrote: Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:30 pm What would be really neat would be a pedestrian bridge to Kaw Point Park over the Missouri. Then connect the Rock Island Bridge with BOB through that, a trail along Leeve Rd and the Riverfront Heritage trail.

Probably wishful thinking but something like this

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A crossing and trail system like this would be an absolute BOON on the WB area. This also goes could be a solid start on making functional bicycle infrastructure that would make traveling by bike between KCK & KCMO not only more practical, but SIGNIFICANTLY safer.
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