Missouri–Kansas–Texas Bridge

In 1987, bicycle enthusiasts worked out an agreement to take use of the line for a rail trail administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and stretching from St. Charles to Clinton.

In 2004, the United States Coast Guard told Union Pacific that the unused bridge was a navigation hazard and should be dismantled.

Bicycle enthusiasts caught wind of the move and launched a campaign to prevent it, fearing that if the bridge were torn down, the whole Katy Trail would have to be returned to adjoining property owners because it no longer was viable as a revitalized railroad.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon sued the Department of Natural Resources to enforce the original order permitting state takeover.

On February 4, 2010, Nixon, newly elected governor, said the Union Pacific would transfer ownership of the bridge to the city of Boonville.