The North Kansas Avenue Bridge opened in 1967.

It replaced the Melan Arch Bridge, which had collapsed two years prior on July 2, 1965, killing one motorist.

[1][3] Unlike the Melan Arch Bridge, the North Topeka side of the North Kansas Avenue Bridge does not connect directly with Kansas Avenue; it instead leads to N.E.

This caused traffic to bypass the North Topeka business district on Kansas Avenue, which local merchants claim led to the decline of the business district.

[1][4] A fly-off ramp known as the "Curtis Flyoff" was built in 2004 to connect the bridge to the Kansas Avenue business district and Great Overland Station.