Severe storms lash Oklahoma City, wash out bridge
Officials say the bridge is closed at this time and will remain closed until it can be further assessed and repaired
July 11, 2023
Oklahoma City authorities said that the severe storms have washed out a part of a bridge on Britton Road between Post Road and Midwest Boulevard, as harsh weather conditions continued to wreak havoc throughout the city, early Sunday.
According to the city’s Office of Emergency Management, the storms caused a partial bridge washout on Britton Road between Post Road and Midwest Boulevard.
Officials noted that the bridge is closed at this time and will remain closed until it can be further assessed and repaired.
The damage occurred as Canadian River washed out a portion of the bridge with officials receiving the information about the scene around noon.
City engineers were directed to pay a visit and take a look however, they are currently unaware about how long it would take to repair the bridge, with early estimates suggesting weeks.
KOCO 5 was told the priority is safety for everyone in the area but they understand it is an inconvenience.
"I just don’t know. It could be weeks; it could be months. Hopefully, it’s quick as we can get it done. Anybody that lives out in this area knows that Britton is the main shot to get to the highway to get to the rest of the city, so it’s going to really impact a lot of the people out in this Jones area," said Mike Love Jr., emergency operations manager.
The city asked anyone in the area not to cross barriers to take a look at the damage and to plan for a little extra time for your commute if you live in the area.
“It’s definitely not an overnight repair,” said Shannon Cox, with Oklahoma City Public Works. “If you’ve seen that damage, there’s no way that’s overnight.”
Noah Bryan told KFOR he was on his way to grab lunch with his family in Jones around 1 pm Sunday.
“I saw a truck driving the opposite direction and he was flashing his lights at me,” said Bryan. “So, I was like, ‘okay, I need to slow down.’”
“I’ve never actually been on a bridge and been worried about my own safety [before],” said Bryan. “There was a massive almost sinkhole in this bridge that had been washed out.”
