Efforts to replace the West 216th Street bridge are moving forward as Ray County takes another step in the dispute that has lasted more than two years.

Commissioners recently approved engaging Great River Engineering to conduct a Bridge Engineering Assistance Program (BEAP) study as negotiations with Union Pacific Railroad continue.

“The engineer recommended we do a BEAP study, which is a study on what it would take to actually replace the bridge and come up with the actual price of replacing the bridge,” said Commissioner Max Hockemeier. “We are currently in negotiations with the railroad on that. They have one price, and we think it’s very low.”

The BEAP program was developed by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to provide engineering assistance to local public agencies evaluating bridges on local roads that are not part of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) road system. The program can be used to evaluate the operational or structural condition of an ex…