Some bad news and good news were reported this week about the historic Rock Creek Bridge on an old alignment of Route 66 west of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
First, the bad news: The city must repair an erosion problem on the bridge’s east side within 90 days, or else the bridge will be closed permanently, according to Fox 23 in nearby Tulsa.
The good news: City officials are confident its contractor, Logos Construction, can finish the $20,0000 in repairs by the deadline and reopen the bridge to traffic. If the bridge reopens, it would post a vehicle weight limit of four tons.
Here’s the full video report from the state:
The bridge was closed in late August after an inspection found the erosion. So the contractor would need to finish its work by late November.
The 1924 bridge also was closed to traffic in March 2013 after engineers found problems with its support beams.
The bridge was shored up enough that officials reopened it to traffic in January 2015 with several restrictions — a hanging gate in front of the bridge kept away vehicles over 7 feet, 2 inches tall, and they imposed a weight limit of four tons. Total repairs cost about $8,000, covered by a $2,000 grant from Sapulpa Tourism, a $5,000 grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and donations from Sapulpa, Creek County and a local steel manufacturer.
The bridge was part of the original Ozark Trail and served as Route 66 until 1952, when officials realigned the highway to the south. The Rock Creek Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
To get to the 3.5-mile stretch of the Ozark Trail alignment of Route 66 near the bridge, one can go on Dixieland Road from Oklahoma Highway 66 (map here) or one can go to Oklahoma 66 and Nafcoat Lane (map here).
It also is possible to drive the Ozark Trail through the parking lot of the VFW post near the bridge, but the post often closes the gate to the road.
(Image of the closed Rock Creek Bridge near Sapulpa, Oklahoma, in August courtesy of Rhys Martin)
When I was photographing Route 66 on Kodachrome in 2010, I saw a utility truck go back and forth over the bridge a couple times. It was a large bucket truck, and it probably weighed 15k lbs or more. The bridge was posted with a low limit. I didn’t have the nerve to go chew the guy out. I bet others ignored the posted limit, thinking their infractions wouldn’t matter.
I wonder if there is a way to keep buttheads from ignoring the limit and causing further damage.