NOT ALL IDEAS FOR RECYCLING BRIDGES PROPER

JEFFERSON CITY -- As the person in charge of overseeing Missouri's historic bridges for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department, Randy Dawdy makes sure the bridges are disposed of properly once they are replaced.

That means a bridge can be acquired for many different uses "as long as people keep in mind it's an historic structure," Dawdy says.

Right now, Missouri bridges are being reused in Nebraska and Maryland. And the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department is considering a proposal from someone who wants to move the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge in Hannibal to Lake Havasu, Calif. -- already home to the transplanted London Bridge of falling down fame.

A bridge can be transferred whole or in part, and can be used on a golf course or in a park or on private property, for vehicular or pedestrian traffic. The department likes the idea of pedestrians using an old bridge. "It has a lot longer lifespan," Dawdy said.

The state has one basic criterion for deciding whether to give away an historic bridge: "It has to be used in a tasteful manner," Dawdy says.

Not every proposal fits that bill. One would leave the bridge in place and put a strip mall on it. Another was to use the bridge to stage events on, such as Fourth of July fireworks displays.

"I'm not mentioning any names, but people who are into building large theme parks like bridges that are spectacular," Dawdy said. "We've had people talking about taking bridges overseas to Japan."

One fellow wanted a bridge because he'd bought a ghost town and thought a bridge would help rejuvenate it.

The National Arbor Day Foundation planned to re-erect one of the state's bridges. "Unfortunately, the structure collapsed when it was moved," Dawdy said.

The bridges are given away, never sold. Usually an agreement is reached for the state to disassemble the bridge and get it on the ground. "From that point on it's their responsibility," Dawdy says.