CARTHAGE, Mo. — A committee of citizens, engineers and city officials is working to address a problem with several Carthage bridges, include the "iconic" “Whee” bridge on Route 66.

Committee members say they’re running into the same problem that has vexed previous city administrations — working with the railroad. A federal court ruled in 2019 that the Union Pacific Railroad, the owner of tracks under three of the bridges, also owns the bridges as well. That means the railroad has to approve any bridge work, but according to Mayor Bren Flanigan and former Public Works Director Zeb Carney, the railroad has been reluctant to spend money on repairing or replacing them. ×

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