Burnett School Bridge Closes Friday

Boone County provided little warning to residents east of Ashland that the Burnett School Road Bridge would be closing on Friday (today) by noon.

Residents such as Diana Hallett, who lives just east of the bridge in Callaway County were unhappy that “MoDot and the county gave me just one day as a part of a decision that will change my life.”

The century-old bridge across Cedar Creek was deemed unsafe after recent testing – even for SUVs and pickup trucks. There is no plan to replace or repair the bridge.

However, a group of citizens met Thursday to discuss the issue and there is a grant being written which could pay for a new passenger bridge.

“We don’t need a heavy traffic bridge because the road won’t handle it,” said Carl Freiling, referring to the gravel road. “We just need a passenger bridge that would cost less than a million dollars. I think that is warranted due to the amount of transportation which moves through that corridor on a daily basis.”

See more on the story in the October 12 Boone County Journal.