Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Boonville Railroad Bridge

Timeline

Compiled by James Baughn

Jan. 10, 1874: First bridge opened to railroad traffic for the MKT Railroad, built by the American Bridge Co. under W.G. Coolidge.
1883-84: First bridge superstructure rehabilitated
1894: Work started to replace superstructure with new truss spans, but using existing piers
April 1, 1896: Second bridge opened
1932: Third and current bridge constructed on new alignment 65 feet downstream
1982: Determined eligible for posting to the National Register of Historic Places
1983: Rails-to-Trails Act passed by Congress establishing legal groundwork for converting unused railroad lines into recreational trails
1986: MKT discontinued railroad service
1987: Agreement signed between MKT and the State of Missouri transferring control of the railroad right-of-way to create what would become Katy Trail State Park
1988: Union Pacific acquired MKT
July 2004: Boonville Daily News published story that Union Pacific had already contracted with a demolition company to dismantle the bridge and reuse four of the five spans for a second railroad bridge at Osage City
Oct. 25, 2004: Bill Wimmer, UP's Vice President of Engineering, sent letter to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources asserting that the railroad has the authority to demolish the bridge
Dec. 23, 2004: Stephen Mahfood, outgoing DNR director, wrote letter to UP claiming rights to use the bridge under the 1987 agreement
April 25, 2004: New DNR director Doyle Childers reversed course and ceded control of the bridge back to Union Pacific
Feb. 4, 2005: "Save the Katy Bridge Committee" formed
May 3, 2005: Boonville residents staged rally at the Cooper County Courthouse to support saving the bridge
May 6, 2005: Ron Kucera, deputy director for policy at DNR, resigned in protest over the bridge decision
May 16, 2005: Wall Street Journal published front-page story about the bridge
May 26, 2005: Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon filed lawsuit against DNR director Doyle Childers to save the bridge
July 12, 2005: Save the Katy Bridge Committee estimated that bridge could be rehabilitated and reopend for around $1 million
July 20, 2005: Nixon expanded lawsuit to include Union Pacific Railroad

Facts

Overview: Vertical-lift through truss bridge over the Missouri River on the abandoned MKT Railroad in Boonville
Status: Railroad line discontinued
Future prospects: Scheduled to be dismantled and reused for an additional railroad bridge at Osage City, pending outcome of legal and political fight
History: Built 1932, replacing an earlier bridge built in 1874. Abandoned in 1986.
Design: From north to south:
Three fixed, riveted, 10-panel, polygonal Warren through truss spans, each 300 ft.
One vertical-lift, riveted, 14-panel, polygonal Warren through truss, 408 ft., weighs 2 million pounds
One fixed, riveted, 8-panel, polygonal Warren through truss spans, 247 ft.
One plate girder span, 60 ft. (removed) for Union Pacific Railroad to run taller trains
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 408.0 ft.
Total length: 1,615.0 ft.
Recognition: Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called: Missouri Kansas Texas Katy Railroad Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +38.97967, -92.75437 (decimal degrees)
38°58'47" N, 92°45'16" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Inventory number: BH 21337 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log

April 29, 2008: New photo from David B. Haun
October 31, 2005: Posted additional photos and info from Todd Baslee

Sources

Todd Baslee - twbaslee [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
David B. Haun - dbhaun [at] gmail [dot] com

Comments

Boonville Railroad Bridge

Posted April 19, 2008, by David B. Haun (dbhaun [at] gmail [dot] com)

A Picture of the Katy Railroad Bridge at Boonville before the Casino was built.

Boonville Railroad Bridge

Posted March 21, 2008, by David B. Haun (dbhaun [at] gmail [dot] com)

Photo 7 of 20 Motor housing.

Boonville Railroad Bridge

Posted October 21, 2006, by Leon Sapp (leonhsapp [at] peoplepc [dot] com)

I spent many a evening on the bridge in the company of Gordon Harvey drinking coffee and keeping up with my operations. It was a better place to keep track of train movements and the day to day happenings on the 'East End' than my office in New Franklin. I watched many a train pass over the bridge and many a tow pass under. It would be a great loss for us, not only the fans of the Katy Railroad but for the State of Missouri to see this once vital link gone forever.

Boonville Railroad Bridge

Posted September 8, 2005, by Chris (hbrotherproperties [at] hotmail [dot] com)

This bridge could be a great asset to the Katy Trail as well as restoring the bridge. Personally I have ridden, in its entirety, the Katy Trail twice and would have personally enjoyed the trip across the Missouri River on this bridge. It seems so arbitrary in times like these to be concerned with a bridge, but restoring our history as well connecting the "true" MKT railroad (Katy) corridor should be important to any outdoor enthusiast.

First time visiting your website it is great. Thanks for any support in saving the Bridge.

Boonville Railroad Bridge

Posted July 23, 2005, by James Baughn (bridges [at] midwestplaces [dot] com)

The case number for the lawsuit filed by Jay Nixon is "05CO-CC00023". You can browse the case docket by going to http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet and typing in the case number.

Boonville Railroad Bridge

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