Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Bridge
Encyclopedia
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
at Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...
that is now owned by the city of Boonville as of 2010. After over 5 years of legal and procedural debates it was announced by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
Jay Nixon
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:...
on February 4, 2010 that Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
was giving the bridge to the City of Boonville which plans to incorporate it into the Katy Trail
Katy Trail State Park
The Katy Trail State Park is a recreation rail trail that runs in the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The nickname "Katy" comes from the phonetic pronunciation of 'KT' in the railroad's abbreviated name, MKT. The trail, widely known as the Katy Trail, is a Missouri...
which is a 225-mile bicycle trail.
The bridge was originally built by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
and was named MKT Bridge No. 191.1 It was truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
with four trusses over the water and a vertical lift in the middle. The bridge is currently not actually used as part of the Katy Trail.
The bridge was built in 1931-32 by the Kansas City Bridge Company
Kansas City Bridge Company
The Kansas City Bridge Company was a bridge building company that built many bridges throughout the Midwest in the early 1900s.The company was founded in 1893 and ceased business around 1960.-Bridges:Missouri River* Missouri-Kansas-Texas Bridge...
(substructure), American Bridge Company
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...
(superstructure) and General Electric Company (electric installation) on a spot where MKT trains had been crossing since 1873.
It connects Howard County, Missouri with Cooper County, Missouri
Cooper County, Missouri
Cooper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. In 2010, the population was 17,601. Its county seat is Boonville. The county was organized in 1818 and is named for Sarshall Cooper, a frontier settler who was killed by Indians near Arrow Rock in 1814.-Geography:According to the 2000...
.
After Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
took over the railroad, it announced plans to abandon the line. Bicycle enthusiasts worked out an agreement in 1987 to take use of the line for a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
stretching from St. Charles, Missouri to Clinton, Missouri
Clinton, Missouri
Clinton is a city in Henry County, Missouri, United States. The city was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 9,311 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henry County.-Geography:Clinton is located at...
. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources agreed to administer it. According to the terms the trail could only operate only if it served as a railbank meaning that it could be returned to rail service if necessary and that the trail had to be operated according to the desires of the railroad.
The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
in 2004 told Union Pacific that the unused bridge was a navigation hazard and should be dismantled. The railroad quietly began plans to remove the bridge and float sections of it down to Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
where it was to be used as a new bridge across the Osage River
Osage River
The Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of . The watershed includes an area of east-central Kansas and a large portion of west-central and central...
. Bicycle enthusiasts caught wind of the move and launched a campaign to prevent the move because they feared that if the bridge was torn down the whole Katy Trail would legally be required to be returned to adjoining property owners because it no longer was viable as a revitalized railroad.
The State of Missouri under Missouri Governor Bob Holden
Bob Holden
Robert Lee "Bob" Holden, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri.-Early life:...
announced plans to take over the maintenance of the bridge. However when Matt Blunt
Matt Blunt
Matthew Roy Blunt served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was elected to serve in the Missouri General Assembly in 1998 and as Missouri's Secretary of State in 2000.A Republican, Blunt was elected...
became Missouri governor in 2005 he reversed support for the bridge saying it would cost $3 to $11 million convert the bridge for trail use.
Missouri Attorney Jay Nixon
Jay Nixon
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:...
in a dispute with Blunt sued the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to enforce the original order permitting state takeover.
On February 4, 2010 Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
Jay Nixon
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:...
announced that Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
was transferring ownership of the bridge to the city of Boonville, MO. The city has announced plans that it will rehab the bridge and incorporate it back into the Katy Trail
Katy Trail
Katy Trail may refer to the following places in the United States:* Katy Trail in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas* Katy Trail State Park, Missouri...
.