Vehicles rolled again across the Bridgeport (Pony) Bridge on May 10.
A reopening ceremony with national, state and local officials was held at 5 p.m. to officially rededicate the rehabilitated bridge to traffic. Afterwards, hundreds of classic and new vehicles paraded back and forth.
Visitors walked the bridge from 3.– 5 p.m., talking with ODOT officials about the work done and visiting the information kiosk in the new parking lot. The bridge, which crosses the South Canadian River, connects Geary to I-10 and Hinton.
At the re-opening ceremony, Tim Gatz, Executive Director of the ODOT remarked that the bridge, “originally built in 1933…has served Route 66 and Oklahoma for nearly 90 years and has become a beloved location visited by tourists from across the globe…” He noted the historical and technological challenges faced by combining old (trusses) and new (bridge structure). Gatz thanked numerous people and organizations that supported or completed the bridge’s overhaul, such as Trait Thompson, Executive Director of Oklahoma Historical Center; State Senator Darcy Jech; State Representatives Dick Lowe and Denise Hader; Souzan Bahavar, Federal Highway Administration; Oklahoma Bridge Company; and his ODOT team including Zackary Holt, on-site project manager, and Brian Taylor, chief engineer.
Matt Pinnell, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, proudly stated that “We have over 400 miles of drivable miles of the most famous road in the world. The greatest American road trip that you can take today is right here in Oklahoma.”
The President of Oklahoma Route 66 Association, Rhys Martin, added, “I stand before you today in front of this wonderfully re-realized bridge as a testament that the road [Route 66] is important, its history is important and although we can’t always save everything exactly as it was, there’s a way to do it.“
Closure
The bridge has been closed for rehab since November 2022 (18 months). ODOT awarded $35,705,909 to OBC to completely rehabilitate the bridge. According to Composites Construction UK, bridge rehabilitation means “the partial reconstruction of an existing bridge.”
What was done?
The existing bridge deck, steel joist that supported the deck, and all 76 steel camelback pony trusses were removed. The trusses were refurbished (sandblasted and sealant and paint added).
The top five feet of each bridge column supporting the bridge were shortened to install concrete pier caps to support the new steel joist and new bridge deck.
Precast deck panels were installed on the new bridge deck.
Parking lot added on the northwest side of the bridge with a kiosk containing historical information.
About the bridge
The bridge is now 3,968 feet long, 24 feet longer than original and 28 feet, 3 inches wide (4 feet wider), providing more support and safety for the numerous trucks that use it.
Overhauled, not destroyed
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association and ODOT were significant voices in overhauling the bridge – not destroying or building another – by adding a new surface and reattaching the original camelback pony trusses to the new structure.