ODOT Takes Down Bridge Over Bird Creek With Explosives

Progress continued with a bang on Sunday morning on the U.S. Highway 169 bridge project over Bird Creek.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is tearing out the old truss bridges to give drivers six lanes on the heavily traveled highway between Owasso and Tulsa. Crews brought down the first of the two bridges with explosives.

“It's crazy to think that in an instant it's gone,” spectator Rachel Inso said.

The loud explosion could be heard and felt all over north Tulsa County as the old truss bridges linking Owasso and Tulsa were torn down.

ODOT hopes the new six lanes make the commute a little faster and safer.

Right before demolition crews dropped the first span before 7:30 a.m., troopers stopped highway traffic. A horn cleared everyone from the blast zone before demolition crews dropped the charge. People showed up early to catch the bridge fall.

Becky Thacker wanted the 55-year-old bridge saved.

Reporter: “To see it drop, what are your thoughts?"
Thacker: “It's sad. I like the bridges."

These iconic fixtures are becoming a thing of the past.

“It's just been here forever, and then we'll no longer have it," Inso said.

Others know a smooth ride is ahead.

“The traffic is crazy in the morning and afternoon,” Nathaniel Inso said. “You got to get rid of it progress has to move forward. That's one of the biggest problems in America is our infrastructure.”

The old northbound bridge won't be dropped until the new southbound span is built.

The $45 million project is expected to be finished by 2017.