Missouri State Parks held a ribbon-cutting on Friday to reopen the Salt Creek Bridge on the Katy Trail in Howard County between Rocheport and New Franklin. In 2019, the bridge was washed off its pilings during a severe flood of the Missouri River. This section of the trail has been closed to visitors since and caused an inconvenient detour for trail users.

“Last year, the Katy Trail welcomed nearly 700,000 visitors. This bridge is a critical asset as it connects the popular destinations of Boonville and Rocheport,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “This project is just one of many that reflects our ongoing statewide efforts of maintenance and repair.”

The old bridge was a 14-span timber bridge that was set on timber pile bents and was 193 feet long and 12 feet wide. The new bridge is a single-span bridge, 151 feet long with abutments and a 12-foot wide concrete deck riding surface rated for a capacity of 20 tons.

The new bridge is also about 10 feet higher that the previous bridge that was washed away in the Flood of 2019.

“We’re not only excited to once again connect the Katy Trail, but we’re also happy to announce Mera Excavating, LLC, of Bonnots Mill, who did the work on the bridge, came in under budget and ahead of schedule,” Buntin said.

The new bridge was pre-fabricated and was hauled to the site in three sections, explained Mike Hall with McClure Manufacturing, the company that provided the design work for the new bridge.

The bridge is located at the 181.4 MM of the Katy Trail, approximately 2.7 miles northwest of Rocheport.

For more information on Missouri state parks and historic sites, or to view the Park and Site Status Map, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.