We'd like to express gratitude to the past generations of Jefferson City residents who saw a way to make our community better, then persisted in accomplishing it.
There are probably millions of examples of the above statement that are worthy of our gratitude. In this case, we're talking about the Bicentennial Bridge to Adrian's Island.
On Monday, groundbreaking for the 765-foot, $4.8 million project took place next to the state Capitol, between the Veterans Memorial and the Senate parking garage, where the bridge will begin.
The bridge will span the Union Pacific railroad tracks to Adrian's Island - 30 acres of forest and wetlands that lie between the Missouri River and the tracks that stretch about 1 mile from the Capitol to the former Missouri State Penitentiary.
For longer than we probably suspect, city residents have wanted to find a way to make our most beautiful natural resource - the Missouri River - more accessible to residents and visitors alike. Other cities have developed their riverfront to include parks, walkways, businesses and other amenities.
But here in Jefferson City, it wasn't so simple. The Union Pacific Railroad tracks, particularly, made the project tricky. Governing agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers don't give carte blanche approval for municipalities to develop land around a railroad beside a river.
But generations ago, a few Jefferson City residents started working on a solution, a way to bring people to Adrian's Island to enjoy the river up close. Some 50 years later, that dream is set to become a reality just in time for our city's 150th anniversary next year.
Among those early proponents of the plan were Sam Cook, Betty Weldon, Deborah Cooper and B.J. DeLong. Among those, only DeLong has lived to see the groundbreaking. Appropriately, DeLong, who donated the bulk of the funding for the project, was tabbed to turn the first shovel of dirt during a special ceremony before Monday's groundbreaking.
The proponents of the project have had the tenacity to see the development of Adrian's Island through, despite decades of rejections, dissension, frustrating delays and project changes.
It's that type of leadership that keeps our city moving forward, bettering the lives of our children and grandchildren.
News Tribune