Section Of Eastbound 412 Shut Down Through Weekend After Bridge Damage

Eastbound lanes of Highway 412 at 65th West Avenue near Sand Springs are still closed, and will be indefinitely. 

11/17/2017 Related Story: Damaged Bridge Closes Eastbound Lanes Of Busy Tulsa Highway

And up above the highway, 65th West Avenue is closed too. 

ODOT said drivers should expect these lanes to be closed for at least the next two days.

While traffic backs up and drivers make their way around, ODOT engineers are getting an up-close look at the 65th West Avenue bridge over Highway 412, after a driver hauling a crane hit it. 

They're looking for any structural issues. 

"We wanna make sure that there's nothing potentially to fall down," said ODOT Maintenance Engineer Trapper Parks. 

Parks said plans were already in place to fix damage when it was hit earlier this year. 

This time, the damage is much worse. 

"A lot of damage to the beams, one beam is separated from the deck above," said Parks. 

Some of the damage ODOT crews are taking a closer look at may have resulted from the crane actually flipping upside down. There is a tire mark left behind, along with a broken cross frame.

"Just looking from the damage, it was a significant impact," said Parks. 

"Unbelievable," said Tulsa Resident Bobby Peck. 

Peck remembers a boat hitting a bridge on 412 several years ago. 

"And stuff from that boat landed in the back of my dump truck, and it ripped two of my tires. So, I know what that's like when they hit them with oversized loads," Peck said. 

ODOT said crews will take another look at the bridge Monday morning and decide what to do next, but there's no timeline for when it could reopen. 

Bobby said he usually takes the 65th West Avenue exit to get home.

That's where drivers are hopping off the highway and traffic slows to a crawl, but for him, that just means more time on his bike. 

"It just makes for a better ride. You just go a little further around," said Peck. 

With OSU's home game Saturday in Stillwater, a lot of folks will be heading that way.

Drivers shouldn't have a problem getting there as they go west, but should plan their trip back home with this in mind.