The Lake Overholser Bridge in Oklahoma City recently was closed to vehicular traffic after an inspector found a problem in the historic Route 66 span.
Longtime Route 66 advocate Kathy Anderson posted this message on Facebook from Melvena Heisch, a recently retired Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Officer:
All, just heard back from the City Planning Department. My contact learned that an issue with the bridge was detected in a recent inspection. The City is awaiting assistance from their bridge consultant. There will be a public notice sent out shortly.
Anderson also posted her photos of the barricades in front of the bridge.
Heisch stated the city’s public information office was supposed to send out a statement Wednesday on its website, but none had been posted by evening.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association posted Wednesday on Facebook:
Due to an issue discovered during a recent inspection, the Lake Overholser Bridge in Oklahoma City is currently closed to vehicular traffic. We will share more information about the status of the bridge, and a timeline for reopening, once it is available.
Brian Dunning of nearby Yukon, Oklahoma, alerted longtime Route 66 researcher Jerry McClanahan on Tuesday about the closing. Dunning noted the “Roads Closed” signs were embedded in concrete, which indicates a possibly lengthy closure.
Several OKC officials contacted Wednesday by Route 66 advocates hadn’t been aware of the bridge’s closing.
Scott McCoy, manager of the Route 66 Ultimate Guide app, stated in the McClanahan comment thread on Facebook that Oklahoma City officials gave him no timeline on when the bridge would be repaired or reopened.
The closing comes less than eight years after Oklahoma City undertook $4 million in repairs on the bridge over a two-year period, including replacing the deck.
As soon as we get more information about why the bridge was closed, we’ll post it here.
The 748-foot-long Lake Overholser Bridge opened in 1925, more than a year before it carried Route 66 over it. It was bypassed in 1958 by a new four-lane Route 66 just north of it, but it continued to carry local traffic. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
UPDATE: The city of Oklahoma City issued a statement that said in part:
Engineers performing a routine inspection Tuesday found some concerns requiring further investigation. The steel truss bridge, which opened in 1925, was restored in 2011 to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and light vehicles. The Public Works Department is working with the City’s on-call bridge engineer to inspect and evaluate concerns observed. A timeline for the closure and maintenance will be available when the inspection is complete.
(Image of the Lake Overholser Bridge in Oklahoma City in May 2019 by Kool Cats Photography via Flickr)
Good to hear that the fault was found and action taken. One person doing his or her job correctly.