Rock Island Bridge to Open April 1 After Three Years of Development

The Rock Island Bridge will open to the public on April 1. Photo credit: Rock Island Bridge.

Posted March 23, 2026

The Rock Island Bridge, the new “first of its kind” entertainment district hovering 60 feet above the Kansas River, will officially open to the public on Wednesday, April 1.

Rock Island Bridge founder and CEO Mike Zeller announced the opening date on social media over the weekend. More details will be released at a later date.

“It’s the world’s first entertainment district, on a bridge, over a river, right here in Kansas City. This bridge has been a dream for me, and a lot of other people, and its fianlly hapoening,” Zeller said in the video. 

The historic Rock Island Bridge is 120 years old and was used to transport cattle by traincar to the Stockyards in the West Bottoms. The bridge is located at 1799 American Royal Drive.

Aerial view of the Rock Island Bridge during construction. Photo Credit: P-Tn.

Project developers, Flying Truss, originally planned for a Spring 2024 opening; however, the project was pushed back several times due to construction delays and funding issues.

Development for the Rock Island Bridge entertainment district first broke ground in May 2023. The district was designed to incorporate event spaces, community areas, bars, kitchens, coffee shops, public seating, restrooms and live entertainment.