Pony Bridge added to Endangered Places list

Preservation Oklahoma recently placed the famous Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma, on its 2016 list of Oklahoma’s Most Endangered Historic Places.

The endangered-places listing was announced in April in Tulsa. The State Historic Preservation Office published the list in its current issue of the Preservation Oklahoma News.

This is how Preservation Oklahoma listed the bridge, which also is called the Brideport Bridge:

In western Oklahoma, the section of Route 66 from Bridgeport to Hydro is considered distinctive since it marks a change in geography by providing the first glimpse of the western plains. The section also contains the William H. Murray Bridge, also known as the Pony Bridge (due to the truss system it uses). Completed in 1934, the bridge is one of the most distinctive bridges of the road in Oklahoma due to its massive length.

The publication says the bridge is endangered because it’s a “Bridge and Approach” project in the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s 2016-2023 Construction Work Plan. The Pony Bridge is listed as “structurally deficient.”

According to Preservation Oklahoma:

The purpose of the project is to provide structurally sound crossing of U.S. 281 over the South Canadian River, and to preserve Route 66 as a tourist attraction in Oklahoma.

While ODOT has identified specific structural conditions that need to be addressed, there are other conditions that contribute to the challenges of this particular crossing, including the narrow 24-foot wide of the bridge. In addition, the Bridgeport Bridge, as most truss bridges built decades ago, was not designed to routinely carry a medium-sized truck — such as delivery trucks and recreational vehicles — that account for over 40 percent of the current traffic, which is estimated at 1,300 vehicles a day. Finally, truss bridges also require an increased attention and greater frequency of inspections, which is reflected in long-term maintenance costs.

Because the bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, ODOT has to consider preserving it. In short, ODOT has to balance traffic safety with history in such cases.

The State Department of Historical Preservation notes public opinion figures in how ODOT will handle in repairing the Pony Bridge. Preservationists should describe the historical importance of the Pony Bridge and urge the state to “repair, not replace” it. (This would be a similar approach as with the historic Gasconade River Bridge in Missouri.) Make comments about the project at this website here.

The Pony Bridge stretches more than 3,900 feet and consists of 38 “pony” trusses, hence its nickname. The bridge appears in the 1939 Oscar-winning film “The Grapes of Wrath.”

(Image of the Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma, by Sylvain L. via Flickr)