About a month ago, it was reported here that Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry announced he was signing a bill to allocate $125 million in emergency bridge repairs.
The funding would have targeted load-posted bridges in particular. I was especially concerned with the Captain Creek Bridge on old Route 66 near Wellston. The photo above is from the comprehensive Oklahoma Bridges site. It's a distinctive pony-truss bridge and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I want safe bridges as much as anyone, but I didn't want the look of a historic bridge to compromised in the repair process.
I e-mailed the governor about my concerns and urged that the bridge be repaired, not replaced. A few days later, I received a letter from Gov. Henry's office, stating that my remarks had been forwarded to the proper highway authorities.
Today, I received this letter from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation:
Your March 20th e-mail concerning the Captain Creek Bridge near Wellston was forwarded to me from Governor Henry's office. Although I received it toward the end of March, I've been waiting to correspond back to you pending a decision by officials with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation regarding this particular bridge. I'm glad to say I have good news.
Your letter could hardly have been timelier as officials were reviewing ways to improve the Captain Creek Bridge at the time it arrived. The decision has been made that improvements will be undertaken so that the bridge's "pony" trusses will not be impacted.
The Captain Creek Bridge presented us with a number of challenges that made improvements to the existing bridge particularly attractive. However, before the decision as to the most prudent and feasible alternative could be made, engineers had to study the bridge to make sure it could be improved without destroying its historical character. It was during that study that your letter arrived. Without getting into the specific upgrades that are planned, I am told that improvements will be made to the bridge's deck in a way that will not impact the structure's historical character.
Thank you for your concern in the matter, and please know that your letter was well-received and helpful in determining this matter.
Sincerely,
David Meuser
Public Affairs Division
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Yep, I'm pretty happy. And score one for local government that listens to its residents. This is an illustration that an involved citizenry can make an impact on public policy — including Route 66.
Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron,
That is great news! Too bad someone couldn’t have gotten the powers that be to do the same thing with the Doxie Creek bridge a couple of years ago.
Mike
Thanks, Mike. I think the Dosie Creek debacle was happening about the time we were moving to Tulsa, so obviously we were distracted.
However, this episode is a good illustration on why you have to keep your ear to the ground and be ready to move. I remember when I heard news reports about $125 million allocated to load-posted bridges. My first thought was: “Hmmm. I wonder whether if this affects any Route 66 bridges.” Sure enough, a listing of such bridges is online. I contacted the state early in the process — well before contracts were bidded and awarded. The key is to act quickly, be polite in expressing your concerns, and don’t dawdle.
Excellent work, Ron. Score another one for the good guys. 🙂
You are fortunate to have listening local government officers. We lost so much of our historic built heritage here in England after World War 2.
Keep up the good work!
Is is great news. If only more of Oklahoma’s historic highway bridges could be given this kind of attention. I have a sort of quasi-rant on my Ash Creek pictures page, https://okbridges.wkinsler.com/ashcreek1a.html
More could be done, but this is a great start
Regards,
Wes Kinsler
https://okbridges.wkinsler.com
Congratulations, and keep up the great work! I