Part of Gasconade River Bridge may be moved to Boswell Park in Lebanon

The park board of Lebanon, Missouri, is considering a feasibility study of whether a portion of the closed Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen can be moved to Boswell Park, though the future of the Route 66 span continues to remain unclear.

The Laclede County Record reported in its latest edition (subscription required) that Lebanon parks director John Shelton said the board was scheduled to discuss the possible study this week.

“Who knows if the state’s going to decide to keep it or not,” he said. “The conversation we’ve had with the Route 66 group, the state association and Missouri Department of Transportation is that if that bridge does get torn down and we can get a piece of it that is moveable and can be relocated possibly to Boswell Park, we could use the bridge to span the water retention, from the murals to the bathroom.”
Shelton said there would be many hurdles to overcome before this could take place.
“First you have to get the state to give you the bridge, then you have to get it engineered and make
sure it’s safe and figure out a way to take it apart and move it,” he said. “The feasibility study is something we would have a professional do, they would hire engineers, look at the bridge and look at what it would take to make it moveable.”

Shelton said cost will be a big determining factor in how much of the bridge will be used — if it’s used at all. He expressed optimism, however, MoDOT could cover the cost of part of the bridge’s move to the park.

Gary Sosniecki at the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society had more details about the proposal:

Karen Daniels, a senior historic preservation specialist for MoDOT, told the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society board Tuesday that discussions for the displays already are under way with the city of Lebanon and the museum.
Under the plan, the bridge’s 80-foot-long “pony truss,” the westernmost and smallest of the four trusses, will be moved to Route 66-themed Boswell Park where the Lebanon Parks and Recreation Department will use it as a pedestrian bridge over a marshy area. The width can be reduced to whatever is desired. […]
In addition to the truss, MoDOT will provide an “interpretive panel” that explains the evolution of Route 66, including its origin as Missouri Route 14, as well as how the bridge was engineered. […]
For the Route 66 Museum, MoDOT will provide a display that explains the evolution of the bridge, which was built between 1922 and 1924. Daniels said she hopes the bridge’s original blueprints, or at least a facsimile, can be included in the display.

Rich Dinkela, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, and other preservationists still are talking with MoDOT about keeping the bridge in place as a pedestrian span.

State officials closed the bridge to vehicular traffic in December 2014 after an inspection revealed grave deterioration in the structure.

MoDOT later built a new bridge a few yards away from the old bridge and Interstate 44.

(Image of the Gasconade River Bridge near Hazelgreen, Missouri, in September 2014 by Indtrigg via Flickr)