Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry announced Tuesday that he was signing a bill into law to allocate $125 million for emergency bridge repairs.
Reports are that the state in particular is targeting what are called load-posted bridges. These are bridges that are not allowed the full weight of big trucks or other large vehicles because their dilapidated condition.
Here is a current list of load-posted bridges of the Oklahoma Highway System. I found three that are on Route 66. They are:
- The White Oak Creek bridge in Craig County, a few miles from the Rogers County line.
- The Purcell Creek bridge in Canadian County, five miles east of U.S. 81.
- The Captain Creek Bridge in Lincoln County on Oklahoma Business Route 66, near Wellston.
I don’t remember much about the White Oak Creek or Purcell Creek bridges. However, it would be a travesty to replace the Captain Creek Bridge. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It also is a distinctive-looking pony truss bridge.
There’s no timetable of which load-posted bridges will be refurbished first. There are bridges in the Sooner State that are in much worse condition than the three on the Mother Road. But being a load-posted bridge list puts it on a higher priority for road agencies.
I favor having safe bridges. But in the case of historic sites, I remember what a highway preservationist said during a conference last year in Tulsa: “Repair; don’t replace.”
If you want to urge the governor to repair, not replace, the Route 66 bridges listed, you can contact him here.