Boonville now owns former Union Pacific bridge

BOONVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Boonville residents are celebrating the end of a long effort to take ownership of a former Union Pacific Railroad bridge.

The Boonville City Council on Tuesday approved a deal to transfer ownership of the bridge to the city.

City officials are already discussing plans for redevelopment of the Boonville bridge, which was built in 1931, with an eye toward making it a major part of the Katy Trail biking and hiking trail.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/RFIZJw ) the city has a four-phase plan that would cost an estimated $4 million over eight to 10 years.

The bridge hasn't been used since 1986. When former Gov. Matt Blunt asked Union Pacific to dismantle the bridge for parts in 2005, then-Attorney General Jay Nixon challenged the decision in court, and won.

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com