ODOT Monitoring Damaged Stretch Of Highway 51 Near Sand Springs

ODOT is monitoring a stretch of Highway 51 that crews reconstructed just one year ago. Now, the orange cones are back again in the westbound right lane and shoulder of Highway 51, several miles west of Highway 97 in Sand Springs.

Cracks in the pavement have been sealed and orange cones are blocking the shoulder 

ODOT said it is monitoring the area to find out if there's any natural earth movement there to cause the pavement to crack. 

It's been about a year since crews completed a $1.4 million project in the same area. Last year, they reworked the soil underneath the road then repaved it. The issue they were working on then is similar to what's happening now. 

The shoulder and right lane of the highway began to crack and slide back then, and slowly got worse before it started to crumble. 

ODOT said all the rain in 2015 along with natural earth movement caused that damage back then. 

ODOT said it's too early to say what's going on now or what the next step will be, but it said it plans to monitor the area for the next several months to see if there's any more natural movement going on. 

Natural movement is not referring to earthquakes.

ODOT will collect data and then move forward.