Viral social media post leads to Oklahoma overpass bridge repairs

By Justin Ayer

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    TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) — A bridge along the 21st Street overpass on the Broken Arrow Expressway alarmed some drivers after a Tulsa man posted a photo of cracks in the beams.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation crews saw the post as well and took action Tuesday morning. Darcy Jordan lives about a block away from the bridge and uses it daily.

“It’s a busy intersection,” Jordan said. “A lot of people use it getting on and off the highway.”

ODOT inspectors were out taking down the cracked concrete and filling it with new concrete on Tuesday.

“The cracks weren’t a major concern. We did take a look at them,” said T.J. Gerlach, ODOT’s spokesperson. “They appeared to be largely cosmetic in nature, but we did just go ahead and reseal that concrete to make sure.”

The bridge was built in the late ’60s and is scheduled to be replaced in 2026 through ODOT’s bridge rehabilitation program, Gerlach said.

Oklahoma climbed to 5th place in the country for good bridge conditions, according to recent Federal Highway Administration inspections. In 2004, Oklahoma was ranked 49th since 17% of ODOT’s bridges were considered structurally deficient, or in poor condition.

According to ODOT, a structurally deficient bridge is defined as one in which the deck (driving surface), the superstructure (supports immediately beneath the driving surface), or the substructure (foundation and supporting posts and piers), or for culvert-type bridges, is rated a 4 or less. The conditions of key elements in a bridge are rated on a scale from 0 to 9 – with nine being excellent and 0 being failed.

“If there was any concern that the bridge was not safe, for the traveling public, we would close it or at least close the lane above it,” Gerlach said.

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