We got an early look at Kansas City’s new Rock Island Bridge entertainment district

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Kansas City, Kansas has a new address: 0 Kansas Avenue.

The spot is better known as the Rock Island Bridge, a double-decker food, drink, event and gathering spot over the Kansas River, a stone’s throw from the Hy-Vee Arena.

Project brainchild and CEO Mike Zeller, who touts the space as the country’s first public-crossing-slash-entertainment-district over water, said the bridge needed a mailing address to apply for its liquor license.

The Star got a tour of the bridge on Wednesday evening ahead of a private event for around 250 donors and local officials.

How the Rock Island Bridge has changed

The breezy concrete space, drenched in golden hour sun, was light on amenities. Plywood panels still cover gaps in the concrete floor, and necessities like gas lines, electrical wiring and plumbing haven’t been installed.

Temporary railings offered a vertigo-inducing view of the river below, the water brown and slow-moving. Kayakers, invited by Zeller to bring the river to life, paddled in circles as guests in business attire and neon vests munched hors d’oeuvres and wandered the empty concrete decks above them.

Walls clad in plastic sheeting enclosed spaces that will eventually become the kitchens, back bars, restrooms and shops of the Rock Island Bridge. For now, their metal ribs remain exposed on the inside, with construction materials piled on the empty floors.

As attendees gathered, a security camera powered by a single solar panel peered down from a deck of rusted gears. In the bridge’s heyday, this contraption raised and lowered its three main sections for boats to pass underneath. The bridge used to form part of the now-defunct Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, also known as the Rock Island Line, from which it gets its name.

Zeller and his associates have lofty goals for what the space could contain, including yoga classes, live music, guest lectures, farmer’s markets, chess tournaments and even parades. Philanthropist Shirley Helzberg shared that the upper deck has already been booked for three private weddings.

The Rock Island Bridge represents an unusual partnership between public space and private enterprise that’s gaining popularity around the country. The city of Kansas City, Kansas, owns the structure itself. But Zeller’s company, Flying Truss LLC, will oversee everything the bridge will contain.

While you don’t technically have to spend money there to visit, you’ll likely have a better experience if you do — and that’s by design.

When will the Rock Island Bridge open to the public?

So when will the bridge officially open to the public? Officials, including Zeller, communications manager Will Gregory and several members of the construction crew, were sparse on details. They promised only “this summer” for an opening date.

A pop-up window advertising private bookings for the bridge’s spacious top deck on its website states that dates are available starting in June. Clicking the “Book Now” button leads potential clients to a page claiming reservations start in July. And Zeller was more vague than that.

“This summer,” he told The Star. “As soon as we can. And not a day later.”

Do you have more questions about development projects in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.