The Interstate 40 Bridge Collapse at Webbers Falls

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In both human and economic costs, the collapse of the I-40 bridge near Webbers Falls ranks as one of the worst river disasters in Oklahoma's history. Yet many have argued that the bridge would have withstood the barge impact had it been built in accordance with modern structural standards.

The deteriorating state of Oklahoma's bridges was made evident earlier in May by a report from "The Road Information Program" (TRIP), which examined the conditions of Oklahoma's bridges. The study found that thirty-three percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficient" and seven percent are "functionally obsolete." Researchers also discovered that more of Oklahoma's bridges were built in the 1930s - 24 percent - than during any other decade.

The problem of deficient and obsolete bridges is not strictly local to Oklahoma. According to TRIP and the Federal Highway Administration, approximately one-quarter of the bridges in the United States need immediate repair or replacement, and capital investment in bridge and roadway projects has been far too low for many years. At the time of TRIP's latest national report, this remained the case.

The following are links to various government-related materials concerning the bridge collapse, the response of both the state and federal governments, and the larger issue of deficient and obsolete bridges in Oklahoma and across the country.

From the National Transportation Safety Board

May 26, 2002-
"NTSB Sends Go-Team to Investigate Bridge Collapse in Oklahoma"

May 30, 2002-
"NTSB to Hold Media Briefing on I-40 Bridge Collapse in Oklahoma"

From the U.S. Department of Transportation

June 4, 2002-
"Bush Administration Pledges Down Payment of $3 Million Toward Rebuilding of I-40 Bridge in Oklahoma"

From the Federal Highway Administration

"Conditions and Performance Report, Chapter 7: Future Capital Investments Requirements - Bridge Investment Requirements"

From the Oklahoma Department of Transportation

June 1, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge Hit Update"

June 2, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge at Webbers Falls - West Side Demolition Progression Pictures"

June 3, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge Hit Update"

June 4, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge Hit Update"

June 5, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge Hit Update"

June 7, 2002-
"I-40 Bridge Hit Update"

June 12, 2002-"Contracts Awarded, Supervised by ODOT's Own 'Space Cowboys'"

"I-40 Bridge Hit in Webbers Falls, May 2002" (diagram)

"I-40 Bridge Hit Information"

"I-40 Over the Arkansas River" (dimensions)

From the Office of the Governor of Oklahoma

May 26, 2002-
"Executive Department Executive Order 2002- 07" (Emergency Declaration)

May 30, 2002-
"Governor Discusses Rebuild of I-40 Bridge"

June 12, 2002-
"Governor Keating Visits Webbers Falls, Announces Plans for Repair of I-40 Bridge"
(TRIP)

From "The Road Information Program (TRIP)"

May 2002-
"Strategies to Improve the Conditions of Oklahoma's Bridges and Keep Them in Good Shape"

May 2002-
"Oklahoma's Bridges, Appendix A: An Explanation of the Bridge Rankings"

May 2002-
"Oklahoma's Bridges, Appendix B: A Listing of the 100 Most Deficient, Heavily Traveled Bridges in Oklahoma"

June 7, 2000-
"New Federal Data Shows Some Improvement in Bridge Conditions, But 29 Percent Are Still Deficient, Research Group Says"

May 7, 2002-
"One in Four Bridges in U.S. is Deficient; Average Age of U.S. Bridges is Forty"

May 2002-
"Showing Their Age: The Nation's Bridges at 40 - Strategies to Improve the Condition of Our Bridges and Keep Them in Good Shape"

May 2002-
"The Nation's Bridges at 40, Appendix B: The 100 Most Deficient, Heavily-Traveled Bridges in the Nation"

May 2002-
"The Nation's Bridges at 40, Appendices C & D: A Listing of the Number and Percentage of Bridges That Are Structurally Deficient or Functionally Obsolete, By State"

Maps

"I-40 Arkansas River Bridge Detour Routes"

"I-40 Multi State Detour Route"

Topozone.com-
"Webbers Falls Quad"

Environmental Systems Research Institute-
"Webbers Falls, Oklahoma"

Microsoft Terraserver/USGS satellite image-
"4 km SE of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, United States"

 
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