Bridge plan threatens three historic Oklahoma Route 66 bridges

A recently updated eight-year plan for bad bridges in Oklahoma targets three Route 66 bridges for replacement, including the famous Pony Bridge near Bridgeport.

The initial news release about the bridge plan said spans would be replaced or rehabilitated. However, Kenna Mitchell, a member of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Media and Public Relations Division, confirmed in an email that three prominent Route 66 bridges would be replaced, not repaired.

The three bridges you cite below are scheduled for replacement at this time. […] While the department certainly recognizes the historic nature and the public interest in these bridges, we also have to balance those concerns with the continued safety of these structures and of the travelling public.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for those bridges. More on that later.

The bridges are:

  • The Captain Creek Bridge, built in 1932 on Oklahoma Highway 66B in Wellston, replaced for $2.37 million by 2019. It was repaired as recently as 2006.
  • The Timber Creek Bridge, built in 1926 on a south frontage road (aka Route 66) of Interstate 40 northeast of Sayre, replaced for $1.9 million by 2019 
  • The Pony Bridge, aka U.S. 281 bridge, built in 1933 over the South Canadian River, replaced for $10.66 million by 2016

The loss of the Pony Bridge would deal a huge loss to Route 66 tourism in western Oklahoma. The unique span, which features 38 “pony” trusses, has been featured in countless magazines and videos, including this one:

Also, the scene where Grandpa is buried in the Oscar-winning movie “The Grapes of Wrath” was shot near the west end of the Pony Bridge. At the time, the bridge was only six years old.

One wild card that may favorably affect plans on those bridges is an ODOT memorandum of agreement “for highway improvement projects [including bridges] along the Route 66 corridor” that Mitchell said will be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office by the end of the week. The MOA was required after the state replaced the 1936 Bird Creek Bridge, also on Route 66 near Catoosa, last year.

Mitchell acknowledged in the email that plans for those bridges “are not yet finalized as to the scope of the work or to preservation efforts.”

Strangely, Melveena Heisch, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, said in an email Friday she was unaware of the MOA’s imminent arrival to her office, nor was she aware of its contents.

Interestingly, Mitchell said the memorandum’s author is ODOT engineer Dawn Sullivan, who said at one of the Bird Creek Bridge hearings the Pony Bridge would be preserved.

“We know it’s the crown jewel of Route 66 in Oklahoma,” she said at the time.

Also, the stated cost of $10.66 million for the Pony Bridge seems insufficient for replacement. The new Bird Creek Bridge, about 800 feet long, cost $5.4 million. The Pony Bridge spans nearly 4,000 feet over the volatile South Canadian River — five times longer than the Bird Creek Bridge.

I urge that you contact the Oklahoma Department of Transportation at odotinfo(at)odot(dot)org and ask it to repair, not replace, the bridges. Also, Gov. Mary Fallin, who has stated her support for tourism, should be contacted at info(at)gov(dot)ok(dot)gov about this crisis for Route 66 bridges.

As Heisch said in her email:

I can tell you that the only way we can have success preserving historic bridges is when local citizens let ODOT know they want the bridges retained and used. They have to speak up and write letters too. To paraphrase a famous congressman, all preservation is local.

UPDATE 9/27/2012: In a comment, Oklahoma Route 66 historian Jim Ross contacted a source at ODOT, and has this to report:

Only one bridge is currently in peril and it is none of the three under discussion. It is the Warren pony truss on Pryor Creek at Chelsea, which will be “let” for replacement in July of 2013. It may be too late to save it, but we can try.

Captain Creek Bridge at Wellston: this is not a repair or replace plan, but a “right of way plan” scheduled for November 2014. According to my source, being a “right of way plan” strongly suggests they will go around the existing bridge. Replacements rarely involve altering the right of way.

Timber Creek Bridge: 2017 – this project specifies “Bridge and Approach.” Since it does not use the word “replace,” the project most likely involves a new bridge on an altered alignment, hence the “Approach” part of the plan. This one, however, needs to be watched closely.

Pony Bridge: At this point the only entry is for a new right of way plan, once again strongly suggesting a new bridge on a new alignment, probably to the west of the current bridge. They are aware that this bridge is on the National Register, and as such cannot be destroyed as part of a Federal Aid Project.

12 thoughts on “Bridge plan threatens three historic Oklahoma Route 66 bridges

  1. Oh, No!! Not the Pony Bridge!!!

    Besides the Chain of Rocks Bridge, probably the most iconic on the route.

    I’d hate to lose the others as well.

    But, sespecially the Pony.

  2. Sorry- that last comment got fragmented (Darn that Internet!).
    As I was saying- after presenting to a group of highway engineers on the history of Route 66, I was asked how I (and probably the 66 enthusiast crowd) will react to highway engineers bringing 66 up to modern specifications, we came to 2 conculsions- First that 66 always was an evolutionary environment in which the road, the route, the built environment all changed over time; 2- that the magic and importance of 66 was the journey. If we hope to keep 66 alive- the evolution must continue.

  3. I’ll forward this to my contact at ODOT for edification. There are many odd things stated in this story. Of course, the biggest missed point is that the pony bridge is on the national register as part of the pristine section of paving on which it is included. Keep in mind also that 8-10 year plans are basically proposals and wish lists. As to the comment above, the continuation of the evolution does not necessitate the destruction of historic bridges. In fact, this is a timely heads-up to get the Timber Creek and Captain Creek bridges on the register as well.

    1. Yeah, I noted odd things in ODOT’s reply as well. And it’s not as if the reply was haphazardly sent out the same day. Almost a week elapsed between my emailed questions and ODOT’s response.

  4. I’ll definitely send an email, and make a note of this for my blog readers & Flickr pals as well. The Pony Bridge was one of my favourite parts of our most recent 66 trip—and it is such a unique thing anymore. Thanks for the heads-up.

  5. I don’t know how to go about organizing such a thing, but might an organized petition be of some help? We drove this stretch last spring and really enjoyed it, especially the drive between Sayre and El Reno. My dad grew up in western Oklahoma, and said the Bridgeport hill was dreaded by truckers in inclement weather.

  6. I don’t know who Sean is? But here’s a few points…

    1) What’s the point of having a National Historic Register listing, if no one’s going to honor it and actually protect the history, most especially the state and federal governments?

    2) The journey you are speaking of, is about the history, therefore no history, no more journey!

    3) If you must so called evolve and bring up to modern standards, then why not replace these bridges with an identical styled new bridge? Afterall, most of these bridges have already lasted longer than any so called modern bridge! What you build today is more about the cheapest and fastest way to milk the most amount of federal money you can, leaving behind something completely devoid of any character or architectural work. Hey, but that’s evolution for ya! lol

  7. Before everybody gets in a lather, here is some reliable information from my source at ODOT:

    Only one bridge is currently in peril and it is none of the three under discussion. It is the Warren pony truss on Pryor Creek at Chelsea, which will be “let” for replacement in July of 2013. It may be too late to save it, but we can try.

    Captain Creek Bridge at Wellston: this is not a repair or replace plan, but a “right of way plan” scheduled for November 2014. According to my source, being a “right of way plan” strongly suggests they will go around the existing bridge. Replacements rarely involve altering the right of way.

    Timber Creek Bridge: 2017 – this project specifies “Bridge and Approach.” Since it does not use the word “replace,” the project most likely involves a new bridge on an altered alignment, hence the “Approach” part of the plan. This one, however, needs to be watched closely.

    Pony Bridge: At this point the only entry is for a new right of way plan, once again strongly suggesting a new bridge on a new alignment, probably to the west of the current bridge. They are aware that this bridge is on the National Register, and as such cannot be destroyed as part of a Federal Aid Project.

    Other items include a curve correction just east of Depew in 2017, the evolving plans for shoulders and some widening between Edmond and the Lincoln Co. line, painting the surviving Bird Creek bridge in 2013, and also in 2013 replacing the bridge on Deep Fork River near Warwick, which is not historically significant.

    My contact urged me to remember that projects listed more than a few years out will likely change or never materialize. Hope this helps. Jim

  8. The information regarding the Captain Creek Bridge between Wellston and Chandler is confusing. Does the language “right of way” mean that the bridge is under repair and the traffic is being averted around the bridge construction (not stopping the flow of traffic)? Furthermore, when is the estimated completion date of the repair or replacement?

    1. I touched base with my guy at ODOT today, and he did some snooping. He says the only project listed for the bridge site is a right of way clearing and utility moving. To him this suggests widening the road or a possible realignment. There are no projects on the board for a new bridge. His thinking is that any such project would likely be years in the future, like beyond 2020.

      1. Thank you so much Mr. Ross for investigating my questions and taking the time to respond. Did they give you any time frame of when their work might be complete and the bridge open for traffic again?

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