Nixon Sues DNR Over Boonville Bridge Giveaway Proposal

Attorney General Jay Nixon is suing the Department of Natural Resources and its Director, Doyle Childers, to stop the proposed giving up of the easement rights to the old MKT bridge at Boonville to the Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific intends to dismantle the lift bridge over the Missouri River and reuse part of it as another bridge over the Osage River. TGhe State acquired a property interest in the bridge and the rest of the MKT right-of-way in a 1987 agreement that resulted in the creation of the 225-mile long Katy Trail State Park. Nixon says the Department and Director do not have the authority to cede the state’s interest in the bridge to benefit a private company, and for no compensation.