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Save the Katy bridge

Kudos to Enterprise Rent-A-Car founder Jack Taylor for his $200,00 pledge to preserve an old railroad bridge in Boonville, Mo., seen as a key to preserving the Katy Trail corridor.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Taylor acknowledged in a prepared statement that while he does not do a lot of hiking or bicycling, he appreciates "the heritage of landmarks like the Katy Railroad bridge" and said the trail is "worth preserving and improving for future generations."

Paula Shannon of the Save the Katy Bridge Coalition told the Post-Dispatch the pledge raises the group's total commitments to $365,000. The group is trying to raise $1 million to refurbish the old lift bridge over the Missouri River for pedestrian use.

The Katy Trail as it now stands uses a nearby highway bridge to cross the Missouri River. But groups such as the Missouri Bicycle Federation and Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon are concerned that removing the bridge would sever the corridor for potential future railroad use and increase the possibility that landowners would try to reclaim their railroad easements.

Roger 0 comments 3:02 PM