Highway Flaw Closes Part Of I-40 Near Shawnee

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says one westbound lane of Interstate 40 near Shawnee is closed due to a problem with an expansion joint on a bridge.

Officials said Monday that the joint buckled early Monday and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation arrived at about 6 a.m. to begin repair work.

The lane is closed for more than a mile just east of U.S. 177. The westbound on-ramp from U.S. 177 is also closed.

The 15-foot piece of metal jutted out of the road around 3:30 a.m.  It flattened the tires of several vehicles before the lane was closed.

Officials say the repair work will take most of the day.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.