Published: November 09, 2009 10:00 am      

New bridge over Lake McAlester spillway now open to traffic

By JAMES BEATY

SENIOR EDITOR

The new concrete and steel spillway bridge near Lake McAlester is now open to traffic.

It replaces the dangerous, rickety, old wooden plank bridge over the spillway, which has caused drivers a lot of concern through the years.

Most of the work on the new bridge is complete and what remains is not enough to delay opening of the bridge, according to District 3 Pittsburg County Commissioner Donald Mathis.

“ODOT called me around 6 p.m. on Friday and said it was ready to be open,” Mathis said this morning, referring to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

“They like a little bit of seeding and putting the grass down,” said Mathis.

The new two-lane bridge is 167.5 feet in length. One of the last steps had been to place guardrails on the new bridge, said District 3 Foreman Doug Rose.

Now that the new bridge is open, one of the next steps is the demolition of the old one.

Workers constructed the new two-lane bridge to the west of the original bridge. That change eliminated an incline, followed by a sharp curve in the road, on the original bridge’s north side.

That incline and sharp curve had made the original bridge especially hazardous to cross in icy weather, according to some of those familiar with the area, including Tannehill School Superintendent William Skimbo.

The original bridge had remained in place while the new one was under construction. That allowed those who lived in the area to have a way to cross the spillway until completion of work on the new bridge.

“The contractors will move in and start tearing the old one down,” Mathis said today.

ODOT had awarded the $703,535.49 contract for the bridge project to the Oklahoma Bridge Company of Edmond.

Construction work on the project had started earlier this year. Former District 3 Commissioner Randy Crone had started work on getting the new bridge approved and funded approximately two years ago and Mathis had continued to move forward with the project when he took office.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Mathis said this morning, adding that the new bridge is looking good.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.