Work being done on the U.S. 62 bridge over the Arkansas River east of the Muskogee Turnpike is preparation for a larger project next year.

Crossover ramps are being built to divert traffic while the major construction is being completed, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said.

“There are four lanes of traffic — two going east and two going west — which will be moved to one two-lane side of the bridge while the other side is repaired,” ODOT spokesman David Meuser said. “While the weather is good, it’s a good time to build the crossovers.”

The lane narrowing as the crossover ramps are built has not caused serious traffic problems, Meuser said. The situation may become more difficult next year when both directions of traffic are on one side of the bridge.

The main repair work will begin next spring and is scheduled to take 240 days, Meuser said.

“They will replace some of the floor beams which are getting rusted,” he said. “Then they will resurface the whole bridge.”

Meuser said the $3.785 million bridge construction project was awarded late last year to Muskogee Bridge Company. However, they are working on a road over the Maynard Bayou Creek, and a subcontractor is handling the U.S. 62 bridge.

Meuser said incentives have been built into the contract to reward early completion. Those incentives could boost the project to $4.5 million if the contractor meets or beats specific deadlines.

ODOT Division One in Muskogee has more than $82 million in projects in progress in Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, McIntosh, Sequoyah, Okmulgee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties.

Seven projects in Muskogee County total about $28.5 million, including two on U.S. 64 between Muskogee and Warner and reconstruction of the westbound side of Interstate 40 near Warner.

According to the Associated Press, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved a $4 billion program Monday to improve roads and replace 449 deficient bridges. The plan includes $33 million for bridge replacement in Craig, Grant, Logan, Noble, Seminole and Wagoner counties.

Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email