Senator Jim Inhofe tours collapsed bridge site

Monday, June 10th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation gets closer to finishing demolition on the I-40 bridge. And an Oklahoma senator promises the federal government will pay tab for all the repairs.

News on Six reporter Emory Bryan says work is progressing on the bridge with a Wednesday deadline for the demolition - and a planned start of reconstruction Wednesday night.

Crews are cutting apart the steel from the eastbound lane that fell on the barges - it's the last of six bridge sections they've taken apart. The debris is stacked on the banks of the river, for later inspection. The work is going as planned, and the rest of the bridge has not been damaged.

Monday morning US Senator Jim Inhofe looked at the site - and promised that work wouldn't be delayed for lack of money. Taxpayers will pick up the $15 million dollar repair to the bridge, which collapsed three weeks ago - killing 14 people driving on I-40.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says it will be repaired before August 1st.