State has no rights to Katy Bridge, appeals court says

The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District today affirmed that the Katy Bridge in Boonville is not property of the state. The railroad lift bridge crosses the Missouri River near Katy Trail State Park.

The appeals court affirmed a lower court ruling that said the state doesn’t have a right to use the bridge but could “aquire rights to the bridge in the future if certain condition precedents are met.”

Union Pacific Railroad announced plans in 2004 to dismantle the bridge and use the steel from it to build a new bridge near Jefferson City.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon filed the lawsuit in 2005 against the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the railroad.

Click here to read the court's opinion.