Facts About the Bridge
On July 7th 2014, a storm came through Independence, MO dumping over six inches of rain in two hours. The flow of water from Rock Creek was massive and raised water levels in the cemetery at an extremely high rate.
Due to the new Rock Creek Bridge and the City of Independence storm water diversion project having recently been completed, the water flowing down Rock Creek had an unobstructed path to flow onto cemetery property. These changes were made during the project without looking downstream to consider what impact they would have on Mount Washington.
Mount Washington retained Davidson Engineering to find viable options for a bridge replacement. We were hopeful of receiving a federal grant that would help offset the cost of a new bridge but those have been denied. After meetings with the state and FEMA, it has been determined that under no circumstances will a culvert be allowed to be reconstructed in the stream at the location of the existing culvert.
FEMA has determined that the only way the structure can be replaced is to construct a bridge spanning the entire channel, and this bridge must be capable of passing the 100-year storm and be approved by the Army Corp of Engineers. Owing to these government-imposed requirements, we are looking at a very expensive bridge.
Fortunately, no area of the cemetery has been rendered inaccessible by the damage to the bridge. There are alternate routes within the cemetery property that will allow you to visit any gravesite on our grounds. Please see the overview map to find your way around the bridge. Click on the overview map to see a larger version or to download a copy. You can always call the office with any questions at 816-252-4141
Mount Washington Cemetery 