Good Question: What's Going On With Tulsa's IDL Bridges?

Grant Sloan, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- While driving through, maybe you've noticed something draped over the northeast portion of the Inner Dispersal Loop.

We wanted to know what was going on, so we sent News On Six's Grant Sloan to get some answers.

Somewhere inside a white cocoon that skirts an IDL bridge stands 24 workers attempting to turn back time.

Air has to be circulated constantly so workers can see as they sandblast and re-paint the bottom side of the deteriorating bridge.

"So we sand blast it down to bare metal, re-coat it, and then the coating protects the steel from rusting and failing," said Project Manager Manuel Patatoukos.

Crews have to wear special masks-- so they don't inhale the old paint they are blasting off.

"Everything has to be 100 percent contained, collected, disposed of properly," Patatoukos said.

Patatoukos oversees a 50 man team. He's responsible for making sure the site is safe for workers and for people passing by.

On one bridge alone, over 80,000 square feet of metal will undergo the transformation--helping guard it from Oklahoma's ever changing weather for the next 20-years.

Easily the most time consuming, and vital part of the process begins as crews stitch together a chain link foundation for workers later on.

"The sand blasting and painting is basically nothing, it's all more the preparation," Patatoukos said.

The $8.9 million project started this past August and is set to wrap up sometime this summer.

The Tulsa bridge is just one of 40 in the area that's undergoing construction. They still have about ten to go.