SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Okla. — The Arkansas River bridge near US-59 and the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam shut down on March 30 after a barge struck it.
The bridge is located south of Sallisaw near the Sequoyah/LeFlore County line.
Jonathan Teague, director of Sequoyah County of Emergency Management, said they're still figuring out what caused the crash, but the left side of one of the barges hit the bridge.
Within 30 minutes, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrived on scene and shut the bridge down.
ODOT engineers were able to inspect the bridge, the road structure, the pillars and determined all the damage was superficial.
ODOT told Teague the bridge is designed to be able to take a hit from the barge.
Thankfully, there were no known injuries.
The Coast Guard will be taking the lead on the investigation.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
