DISMANTLING OF BOONVILLE BRIDGE MAY THREATEN INTEGRITY OF ENTIRE KATY TRAIL
4th December, 2005
Edward "Ted" Jones and his wife Pat Jones gave the gift of the Katy Trail to the people of Missouri. To accomplish this, they first had to preserve the former MKT railroad corridor for possible future rail service. Ted and Pat funded 100% of the costs of a contract with the railroad that required that all of the many railroad bridges be preserved intact and not salvaged.
Under the binding contractual agreement, every bridge was addressed including the Boonville Railroad Bridge wherein the bridge was expressly required to be "kept available for transportation purposes" as an integral part of the preserved railroad corridor. Union Pacific Railroad acquired MKT and is currently attempting to undo the requirements of the Edward and Pat Jones contract that created the Katy Trail.
The Katy Trail's very existence, if the Boonville Bridge is removed, would be subject to legal challenge and years of uncertainty. A coalition is trying to save the Boonville Bridge. For information visit www.savethekatybridge.org.
