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
- Location
- Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri, and Howard County, Missouri
- Status
- Railroad line discontinued
- 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") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/521275/4314549 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Billingsville
- Inventory number
- BH 21337 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- August 9, 2012: Updated by Daniel Hopkins: Added category "Railroad"
- November 26, 2010: New photo from James Baughn
- April 29, 2008: New photo from David B. Haun
- October 31, 2005: Posted additional photos and info from Todd Baslee
Related Bridges
- Second Boonville Railroad Bridge (Predecessor)
- First Boonville Railroad Bridge (Predecessor)
Comments
How easy is it to access the control room?
The Missouri travel guide says this is the longest lift-span bridge in the world.
i think this very intresting i think it should be shown again to everyone u use to ask about this bridge every time i past but now im learning about it and understnd the facts of it
I agree with John O I like this bridge so I need some pics of it in action
On February 4, 2009 Governor Jay Nixon (Missouri) announced that Union Pacific was transfering all ownership rights to the bridge to the City of Boonville, MO. The city has announced they will rehab the bridge and work towards making it part of the Katy Trail. The legal battle is finally over - the bridge will live on!
I was wondering if anyone has any pictures of this bridge in action, or any stories/tales of trains crossing it? I personally am totally intrigued by this bridge, and would love to see a train on it. At the very least, I wish I could see some of what the depot/tracks/approach/bridge all looked like before the line was abandoned and Isle of Capri butted in. So if any one has any other great material, I would be most appreciative if they would post it. :)
Speaking of which, the pictures someone took on the bridge/in the operation house are quite amazing. In fact, it has inspired me to make my own trek out onto the bridge sometime this winter before all the vegitation on the north side grows back up, preventing access...
reuse it
I saw this bridge for the first time in October of 1985 as I was travelling from Leavenworth, Kansas to my home in Dupo, Illinois. I had just spent four months at a course at Fort Leavenworth. I have always enjoyed photographing and observing lift, bascule, and swing-span bridges. I did not get a chance to see this bridge in action, even though the rail line was still in use at that time. I have a couple of questions for anyone who can answer them. Where was the bridgetender's office located at on the bridge? Also, it appears that the bridge was designed for double-track use, although I don't think the KATY ever had a double track line to St. Louis. I was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma from 1985 to 1989 and had the chance to photograph KATY trains in Oklahoma and Texas (even a freight that had a caboose!) before the road's demise in the late 1980's. I was sorry to see it go!
A Picture of the Katy Railroad Bridge at Boonville before the Casino was built.
Photo 7 of 20 Motor housing.
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.
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.
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.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cooper/boonville-rr/