An official with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation expressed concerns about the process of possibly tearing town the Gasconade River Bridge in Hazelgreen, Missouri, that the Route 66 Association of Missouri wants to preserve.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, association President Rich Dinkela posted a July 28 letter from Jaime Loichinger, assistant director of the Office of Federal Agency Program with the Advisory Council, to the Missouri division of the Federal Highway Administration.
Dinkela has accused the Missouri Department of Transportation of a bad-faith effort in turning over ownership of the nearly century-old bridge to the association by requiring an insurance policy that is impossible to attain.
Loichinger wrote “the ACHP remains concerned regarding the transparency of the consultation process for the Gasconade Bridge project.”
Loichinger also stated “It is clear there remains confusion” about the rationale used by the FHWA and MoDOT to reject the association’s proposal to take over ownership of the bridge. She urged a detailed review of the conditions to transfer ownership of the bridge to the Route 66 association.
“The FHWA and MoDOT should take steps to ensure that their agency officials are in attendance so that they can outline acceptable ownership conditions, and provide background on previous bridge transfers within the state,” Loichinger wrote.
She also urged all the parties “to work in a good faith manner to achieve a reasonable outcome, especially in light of the national significance of the Gasconade Bridge, but also Route 66.”
In the Facebook post, Dinkela wrote:
“This my friends, is a major step in the right direction. MODOT cannot use federal funds to remove the bridge unless they satisfy the advisory council and other parties at the federal level that must sign off on the demolition. I look forward to the decision makers at MODOT working with us to come to a practical resolution for the future of this historic structure. We could not have done this without your support. We still must go a long way to make sure the bridge is not only saved, but rehabilitated. Your voices have been heard. Lets stay diligent and persistent in our endeavors to save history.”
State officials closed the bridge 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 courtesy of MaryPetrina Photography)
All the way along the Department of Transportation has wanted to get rid of the bridge, one way or another. Now it has found another means. Try stopping any zealot.