State parks director says bridge too costly to preserve

A historic Missouri River railroad bridge would be too costly to preserve for future use as part of a state recreational trail, the director of the Missouri Division of State Parks said Thursday at a meeting of the state's park advisory board in Cape Girardeau.

Doug Eiken, parks division director, told the board at the Drury Lodge that it would cost $8 million to build the walking path and refurbish the span located at Boonville. Most of that is for structural repairs to the bridge, he said.

That makes little sense when the parks division is looking at trimming costs, Eiken said. The division expects to eliminate 70 to 75 of its 760 jobs over the next five to 10 years, he said. The jobs would be eliminated through attrition.

The division operates 83 parks and historic sites in Missouri, including Trail of Tears State Park near Cape Girardeau which annually draws nearly 189,000 visitors.

The 73-year-old bridge includes a lift that raises part of the span to allow barge traffic to pass by, Eiken said. That would have to be kept in operation or a pedestrian ramp would have to be built near the top of the span if the old bridge were to be incorporated into the 225-mile-long Katy Trail across Missouri.

"That's not practical," he told the seven members of the advisory board who attended the meeting.

There are environmental issues too, Eiken said. "There is lead paint on the bridge. There is asbestos on the bridge," he said.

Union Pacific Railroad wants to remove the span. The railroad has received tentative permission to do so from Gov. Matt Blunt's office and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources which includes the parks division.

But Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has threatened to take legal action, insisting that Blunt administration officials exceeded their authority in agreeing to cede the bridge back to the Union Pacific which wants to dismantle it.

At Thursday's meeting, the board discussed proposed improvements to busy Grand Glaize Beach at Lake of the Ozarks State Park but took no action. The advisory board has no regulatory authority.

Board chairman Don Johnson said the beach is popular with fishermen.

Ste. Genevieve study

In other business, Eiken said Congress may authorize a $250,000 study to determine if several historic houses in Ste. Genevieve should be considered a national historic site. Such a designation would result in the federal government taking over operation of those French-style buildings from the Missouri parks division, Eiken said.

"It's a good deal for the state and Ste. Genevieve," he said during a break in the meeting. But Eiken said the move could take several years, assuming the legislation passes Congress.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123