| KT MaC News |
Osage bridge could be saved for Katy Trail THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JEFFERSON CITY — History buffs and bicyclists have long sought to save an old railroad bridge for use on the Katy Trail. The federal stimulus package could give them a new reason for optimism. The Missouri Department of Transportation is applying this month for $27 million in stimulus funds to build a steel railroad bridge over the Osage River east of Jefferson City. In a roundabout way, that could help preserve the Depression-era Katy Railroad bridge that crosses the Missouri River at Boonville. The Katy bridge has been targeted to be torn down, with its steel reused on a new Osage River bridge. But if the state gets federal money to build the Osage River bridge from scratch, there may no longer be an economic incentive to dismantle the Katy bridge. TRAIL EXPANSION NEWS This past Fall of 2008 the Division of State Parks will begin the process to build the Rock Island trail spur from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. This expansion resulted from the AmerenUE settlement from the Taum Sauk reservoir breach. The Division of State Parks is in the process of conducting title searches and land surveys. The projected date for the completion of this project is 5 years with some completed sections within 2 years. Kevin Bolling is out of the department's Kansas City office and is the liaison regarding the trail connections out of the KC area and right now is the primary point of contact for the Rock Island connection. You may contact Kevin by e-mailing him at: kevin.bolling@dnr.mo.gov or calling him at (816)759-7913 |