ODOT Has Tough Road Ahead For Bridges

A report released on the anniversary of the Minnesota bridge collapse ranked the busiest troubled bridges in Oklahoma. Near the top of the list are several bridges in Tulsa, including Highway 169 at Interstate 244, I-44 at Peoria and the Interstate 244 ramp at 1st Street. Those rankings are based on traffic counts.

News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports ODOT says they no doubt have a tough road ahead of them, but they are making progress.

ODOT engineers say there are still 1,600 bridges statewide that need some type of repair work or need to be replaced, but they say crews are making progress, that started well before the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

Construction crews are working to replace old bridges over Mossey Creek along Route 66. The bridges were rated the worst in Rogers County.

About 21,000 vehicles travel on the bridges each day, so the replacement will be a much needed improvement. It's one example of progress made by ODOT to address the state's deteriorating bridges.

"I'm really proud. We've got some great contractors, department of transportation employees and we're working really well to try to solve the problems facing the driving motorist," said ODOT Engineer Randle White.

Over the past 30 months, ODOT has repaired or replaced 242 bridges statewide at a cost of $682 million. The number of load-posted bridges in Oklahoma has been reduced 63% thanks to a $100 million-one time appropriation by the legislature.

Over the past year, the number of structurally deficient bridges statewide in Oklahoma has dropped from 989 to 913.  So ODOT is making headway on a problem that has been plagued for years by a lack of funding.

"Even though the price of materials, the cost for labor and equipment were increasing, we were just getting the same money and we were getting further and further behind," said White.

But ODOT says things are improving, but it will take more time. Engineers are optimistic that with additional funding they can now address the hundreds of bridges statewide that still need some sort of repair or replacement.

"I think they've put funding mechanisms in place, that will allow us to eventually reach our goal to addressing the backlog that we have," said White.

In the current eight year work plan, ODOT plans to more than triple the amount of bridges addressed in the previous eight year plan.

Related Story:

07/31/2008 - Busiest Roads And Bridges At Risk