Neither the rating nor the classification means the bridge is unsafe, according to definitions from a Federal Highway Safety subcommittee Web site.

The sufficiency rating is an overall measure of the bridge’s condition and used to determine eligibility for federal funds.

A functionally obsolete bridge is one that does not have adequate lane widths, shoulder widths or vertical clearances, according to the Web site.

More than 500 (38 percent) of all Oklahoma’s bridges are classed as functionally obsolete, according to a 2005 “report card” issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The Newkirk bridge has 12-foot-wide lanes, which are narrow for today’s traffic, Saliba said.

Cyrina Lang of Wagoner said her pickup mirrors were hit by an oncoming vehicle a couple of years or so ago. She said the narrow lanes, together with the rough surface, make her consider the bridge risky for traffic.

“The deck is really where the heartache is,” Saliba said. “It’s a truss bridge, and those truss bridges are pretty stout. It’s just due to lack of painting and just the years of service on that bridge.”

The bridge, named for former District 1 Engineer Richard Newkirk, is 1,127 feet long and was built in 1949 at a cost of $724,325.

It will cost considerably more than that — $30 million or more — to replace the bridge, Saliba said.

“We hope to start buying right of way within the year,” Saliba said.

The work is scheduled to begin in 2011.

The Grand River bridge is one of 480 bridges in the state scheduled for replacement by 2014, according to a 2007 study by TRIP, a nonprofit organization that researches, evaluates and distributes data on highway tranportation issues. The report says 426 other bridges are scheduled for repairs by 2014.

“It’s a very costly project, but absolutely necessary,” Saliba said.

An environmental impact study already has begun on the project and is nearing completion, he said. A public hearing will finalize the study.

Then, engineers will design the project and right-of-way acquisition will begin, he said.