‘Flat tops’: Video shared by KCPD shows truck hit infamous Independence Avenue bridge

A Kansas City bridge known to have frequent run-ins with commercial trucks saw another driver unsuccessfully attempt to clear its low underpass on Wednesday.

A video shared on Twitter by the Kansas City Police Department showed the top of a box truck being stripped away while trying to pass underneath the bridge near Independence and Wilson avenues. In the video, the truck stops shortly after the driver apparently became aware of the accident.

“Apparently, the Independence Street Bridge gives flat tops,” police said in a tweet. “Everyone is safe, especially the bridge.”

Crashes with the bridge, which has blinking lights and signs alerting a 12-foot clearance, are so common that there is a Facebook page dedicated to documenting accidents there.

The bridge has been hit by box trucks and tractor trailers for years. Its Facebook page that proudly proclaims: “I have been feasting on your human concoctions for decades. Your wheeled steel boxes are quite delicious. Please feed me more!”

The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company, which owns the bridge, says it gets hit about twice a month. Collisions are so common that sometimes the company isn’t even notified of them, Shawn Lauby, director of safety and administration for the railroad, has told The Star.

Safety inspectors routinely check the bridge after a collision is reported. Officials have placed additional signage there and sought ways to reduce the number of incidents, including the exploration of civil engineering projects.

“Although these collisions may look rough, they’re not doing much to the bridge,” Lauby said at the time, adding: “It’s in good condition. It was just designed at a time when you needed clearance for horse-drawn carriages, not 13-and-a-half foot semis.”

The Star’s Kevin Hardy contributed to this report.