Chouteau Bridge, Road bridge in Kansas City, United States.
The Chouteau Bridge is a road bridge that spans the Missouri River at Route 269, connecting Jackson County with Clay County. It has four traffic lanes and provides direct access to Harrah's Casino at its north end.
The original structure at this location was a Whipple truss bridge from 1887, making it the second bridge built over the Missouri River near Kansas City. The modern replacement was completed in 2002.
The bridge carries the name of François Chouteau, the first permanent settler in Kansas City and a member of a prominent fur trading family. This name reflects the early commercial ties that shaped the city's development.
The bridge carries Route 269 traffic and functions primarily as a transit route. Pedestrians should note that this is a vehicle-only crossing, so walking across is not practical.
The original steel truss structure had severely corroded and was restricted to a three-ton weight limit before its controlled demolition in 2001. This restriction made clear how weakened the aging bridge had become.
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