In the 2025 Spring semester, the Kansas City Design Center Urban Design Studio examined the closed Central Avenue Bridge as a catalyst for broader community impact. The bridge was closed in 2021 due to extensive deterioration of its bottom truss members. The bridge has a unique split ownership structure, which has complicated efforts to fund its repair or replacement. Community efforts, including petitions led by local lawmakers, have advocated for the bridge's repair or replacement. In 2025, the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, hired a team to study the future of the UG River Bridges as part of an effort to restore the vital connectivity between communities.

Through design concepts and stakeholder engagement, the studio highlighted how a future crossing could restore critical connections, improve multimodal access, and restore long-term investment along the Kansas river corridor.

View the publication online here.