Another One: Bridge Hit by Barge, Forces Road to Shut Down
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
A large barge struck a bridge in Oklahoma on March 30, forcing state troopers to close the road for two hours.
No injuries were reported, according to The Associated Press.
The bridge, which carries U.S. 59 across the Arkansas River near Sallisaw, in the eastern part of the Sooner State, was reopened after it was inspected.
It is not known what caused the barge to hit the bridge.
According to KFSM-TV in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a fisherman notified law enforcement about the incident about 1:30 p.m.
Another bridge struck by a barge.
U.S. 59 Bridge in Sallisaw OklahomaDayton Holland and her family captured this video as they were fishing near the bridge. pic.twitter.com/Raw9eCqOzr
— HighImpactFlix (@HighImpactFlix) March 30, 2024
“The initial hit was very loud. It sounded like gunshots going off, which was another scary thing,” Dayton Holland, who was out fishing with her father and boyfriend, told KSFM-TV.
“We never heard anything. And when the barge hit, they broke apart from each other, somewhat downriver and somewhat towards the bank.”
US-59 south of Sallisaw at the Kerr Reservoir is completely shut down at this time due to a barge that has struck the bridge. Troopers are diverting traffic away from the area. The bridge is going to be shut down until inspections of the bridge can be made. pic.twitter.com/IONAbvGOEk
— OK Highway Patrol/DPS (@OHPDPS) March 30, 2024
Holland added that she was “so thankful” the impact did not break the bridge and cause it to collapse.
Around two hours later, at 3:25 p.m., the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said U.S. 59 was open.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said, “Engineers inspected the structure and found it safe to reopen,” in an email to the AP.
News of the bridge’s closure arrived less than a week after Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed and fell into the Patapsco River early in the morning of March 26 after a massive container ship crashed into it.
Six men were presumed dead less than 24 hours after the Key Bridge’s collapse.
The six were among eight men who were working on the Key Bridge when it fell into the water.
Of the two who survived, one was hospitalized.
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