A loud rumbling boom was heard across the Kansas City metro area shortly after rush hour as a blast dropped the third and final arch of the iconic John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Memorial Bridge into the Missouri River below. Shortly before 9:30 a.m., the explosion ended an era for the metro and removed a popular part of Kansas City’s skyline. Built in the post-World War II automobile boom, the bridge on the northwest corner of downtown had served for several decades as a vital connection between down