Crosses Missouri River Body of water Missouri River | Followed by 1995 Inaugurated 1924 | |
Carries US 40 / Route 5 / Route 87 Address MO-5, Boonville, MO 65233, USA Similar Boonslick State Park, Vermillion–Newcastle Bridge, Chouteau Bridge, Ike Skelton Bridge, Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge | ||
The Boonslick Bridge is a series of girder bridges on U.S. Route 40, Route 5, and Route 87 across the Missouri River between Cooper County, Missouri and Howard County, Missouri at Boonville, Missouri. It is named for Nathan Boone (rather than his father Daniel Boone which is popularly reported), who built a road between St. Louis, Missouri and a salt lick northwest of the bridge, which was the first departure location on the Santa Fe Trail.
The bridge also has a segregated pedestrian and bicycle path. The Katy Trail State Park diverts from its railbed alignment to cross the Missouri River on this bridge, as the nearby MKT Bridge is unrenovated. The bridge, which opened in 1995, replaced a six-span truss bridge built in 1924 that was 19 feet (5.8 m) wide. The earlier bridge was 2,100 feet (640 m) long with a 584-foot (178 m) approach in Cooper County and 500-foot (150 m) approach in Howard County. Three of its spans were 420 feet (130 m) and three were 280 feet (85 m).