Bridgeport Pony Bridge Reopens May 10

by Richard Stephens, Jr.

View of the William H. Murray Bridge (Pony Bridge), looking southwest towards Hinton, OK. April 24, 2024

Just a few more finishing touches and the Bridgeport Bridge near Hinton, Oklahoma, will be ready to reopen for traffic on May 10. The Oklahoma Bridge Company (OBC) is finishing one large project - the parking lot on the northeast side of the bridge - and several smaller “punch list” items.

According to Zackary Holt, Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) on-site project manager, during the past month OBC “completed the approach slabs, the tie-ins on the road bed, the parking area…they have put on water repellant on the bridge…and the guard rail as well.” On April 24, as Schwarz Ready Mix poured concrete to form a walking area around a new information kiosk in the parking area, workers from OBC smoothed it out. Matt Snyder, an ODOT Inspector, took some of the concrete and performed a quality control test on its consistency, strength and other factors. He said, “I’m doing a fresh concrete test. Get a sample, fill a cylinder, put it in a cooler and let it cure for 24 hours, then it goes to an ODOT laboratory.”

The new scenic turnout on the northeast side of the Canadian River.

Holt said, “What remains is sod and grass seeding, stripe and new signs for the South Canadian River and the parking area” and a sidewalk. Synder noted that more crushed rock needs to be poured on the slopes away from the parking lot and its drain culvert channel. After the bridge reopens, Holt will leave field work to become an Assistant Resident Engineer in the Yukon Construction Residency to “help with projects in the office, general admin, project managers and upcoming projects.” He has overseen the bridge’s rehabilitation since October 2022.

In Jan, Brandon Herrington, another ODOT inspector said, “It takes a team to raise a bridge.” Holt praised partners supporting the effort. “The prime contractors [OBC] did a really good job. It’s been good working with them on this…It’s been a full effort on our ODOT side too with environmental people, our office and other support groups through ODOT trying to tackle this job. {JK Industries] did a fine job on the trusses.”

Visitors are welcome to walk the bridge on the northeast side of the South Canadian River (the southwest side closest to Hinton will be closed) from 3:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. on May 10. Bryce Boyer, ODOT Public Information Officer, said people can see classic cars, take photographs/videos, talk with ODOT representatives, and read historical information about the bridge in the parking area. Boyer also said plans are being made to have music and food and drink trucks.

Parking plan for the grand Reopening Event on May 10th.

At 5:00 p.m., a reopening ceremony will commence. After a ribbon cutting, Tim Gatz, Executive Director of the ODOT; Matt Pinnell, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma; Trait Thompson, Executive Director of Oklahoma Historical Center; and Rhys Martin, President of Oklahoma Route 66 Association, will speak. As soon as the ceremony is over, vehicular traffic will resume. If coming from the east, it is recommended to use exit 108 of I-10 (location of Cherokee Trading Post). Drive north on Rt 281, then after about one mile, make a left hand turn on Old US Highway 66 and after descending the hill, turn left again on Rt 281.

Besides commercial trucking companies, Glenn Coleman, General Manager of Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, and several of his employees will also be happy when the bridge reopens. They live in Geary and drove an extra 20 miles a day for 18 months because they had to travel east, not west, on Route 281 to I-40, then drive west on I-40 to the Hinton exit. “We lost a lot of business too,” he added, because the casino was surrounded by construction to the west (I-40), north (Bridgeport Bridge) and east. A contract worth $35,705,909 was issued to OBC to rehabilitate the bridge, which is on US-281 (Route 66) and straddles Caddo and Canadian counties. The bridge has been closed since Oct 31, 2022.

For up-to-date information about the reopening ceremony, go to the Event portions of Facebook for ODOT or the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.