Platte Purchase Bridge

Platte Purchase Bridge
Coordinates
Carries	Two lanes of northbound US 69
Crosses	Missouri River
Locale	Kansas City, Kansas to Platte County, Missouri
Maintained by	MoDOT
Characteristics
Design	Continuous truss bridge
Total length	2,552.19 feet (777.91 m)
Width	28.31 feet (8.63 m)
Longest span	465.96 feet (142.02 m)
Clearance above	15.02 feet (4.58 m)
History
Opened	1957
Closed	Late 2016

The Platte Purchase Bridge is a continuous truss bridge over the Missouri River that handles northbound U.S. Route 69, connecting the Seventh Street Trafficway in Fairfax, Kansas with Interstate 635 (Kansas–Missouri) in Riverside, Missouri. Its biggest span is 465.96 feet and it is 2552.19 feet long and has a deck width of 28.31 feet and vertical clearance of 15.02 feet. The bridge is named for the Platte Purchase.

File:Platte-purchase-fairfax-bridges-from-north.jpg

Platte Purchase and Fairfax Bridges from the north

File:Platte-purchase-bridge-interior.jpg

Platte Purchase Bridge interior

History

The bridge was opened in 1957 to alleviate traffic concerns on the older Fairfax Bridge. The Platte Purchase Bridge carries northbound traffic, while the older span carries southbound traffic.

In 2013 plans were announced for replacement of both the Platte Purchase Bridge and the Fairfax Bridge. When the latter closed on October 31, 2014, the Platte Purchase span was restriped to handle two-way traffic. The Platte Purchase bridge is set for demolition in late 2016 when the new bridge opens.

See also

• List of crossings of the Missouri River