Reply to Dutzow Trailhead (Dutzow)

Is the bridge to washington mo very unsafe for bikers? We wish to start at Dutzow, park our car and bike to Jefferson city then return to washington by amtrak.

No. It is very, very narrow with no shoulder. Call a cab or make arrangements with your lodging provider to give you a shuttle across.

My husband made the mistake of going across once for the car. Don't do it. Very
dangerous.

I just read that there is a new bridge and it has a bike lane. Gotta love progress when it includes cycling.

Alaska, the original question was on crossing the Washington, MO Missouri River bridge and there is nothing on that bridge that resembles a bike lane and it is about 80 years old. Other bike lanes/crossings that are more recently built were for Hermann, MO and Jefferson City, MO.

Steve, thanks for the clarification. I must have been reading about one of the other bridges. Guess I'll just have to take the lane.

Anchorage,
We are seasoned road riders, and I advise again not to cross this bridge. Taking the lane here will only get you run over. It's a very narrow, highly travelled bridge with FAST traffic. I just crossed in my car a few weeks ago and my sister squealed all the way across. Call a cab. It's not worth it.

Ok, thanks. Not worth the risk.

I live in downtown Chicago. I often cross the Roosevelt Road bridge six lanes of traffic with the bike lanes between 1 and 2 then 5 and 6. I have steered around crack needles behind aggressive cabs with buses on my butt. Family logistics were such Washington Amtrak was my best departure point from the Katy Trail. I planned to bike across the Washington bridge with my single wheel trailer.
I had a ticket for the 12:31 pm Amtrak, September 10th, 2011. I got up early at Klondike camp and left the rainy soft muddy Katy trail in Augusta. I traveled Augusta Bottom Road from Augusta to RT 47. It was raining hard when I got to the Rt 47 intersection about quarter mile from the bridge. The numerous fast moving cars and trucks were kicking up a mist over the road. My cell phone was wet and acting flaky. I had been so confident about crossing I did not have any cab numbers anyway. A pickup pulled up beside me and signaled left. I stuck up my thumb and motioned to the back bed. A local father taking his son to youth football game loaded my bike and gave me a ride across the bridge. I left a couple soggy bills on the seat.
If they ever build a new bridge it will not have a bike lane named in my honor.

I was going to suggest hitching across. I've had lots of good luck with friendly pick-up truck drivers willing to help me get me and my bike through tight spots. A local in Washington, MO, suggested that if you do bike across this bridge that you use the whole lane and make cars wait behind you. Of course, the cars behind you might not like this strategy.