Posted on 07/29/2002 5:09:05 AM PDT by TomGuy
Webber Falls, Okla. (AP) - Crews have finished repairs more than a week ahead of schedule on an interstate bridge where 14 people fell to their deaths after it was hit by a towboat in May.
Traffic was scheduled to resume Monday over the bridge, restoring some normalcy to the lives of residents in the small town that suffered through the tragedy. The victims were to be remembered upon the reopening of the bridge, said Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne.
Cars and trucks plunged into the muddy Arkansas River on May 26 after a towboat pushing two barges slammed into the bridge along Interstate 40, collapsing part of it.
Since then, as many as 17,000 cars and trucks have been rerouted each day through Webbers Falls and other nearby towns as construction crews worked around the clock to repair the collapsed span.
"Life changed drastically that day and it will change back a little drastically tomorrow,'' Horne said Sunday. "It's going to be three or four months before we know the effects the bridge collapse had on the town, on the businesses.''
The roadway is reopening 10 days ahead of the Aug. 8 deadline set by the project's contractor, Fort Worth, Texas-based Gilbert Central Corp. Gilbert will earn $1.5 million in bonuses for completing the project early.
The cost of the project is estimated at $30 million, twice the original estimate.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said the price rose due to the cost of shoring up the damaged structure and maintaining detour routes. The agency said it has spent almost $10 million on repairs to alternate routes.
But the increased traffic did not mean more customers for businesses in Webbers Falls, Horne said.
She said most motorists were afraid to lose more time and were in a hurry to get off two-lane detour routes.
"I know for June we lost several thousand dollars and it looks like July's going to be off some,'' said Butch Cox, owner of Charlie's Fried Chicken, one of Webbers Falls' three restaurants.
The line of diverted vehicles gave Cox something he'd never had before in the town of 800 residents — commute time from his home three miles away.
"I used to see all that traffic and wonder, 'Wouldn't it be great to have all that stop here?''' Cox said. "Well, I found out, and I don't want to know any more.''
A park in Webbers Falls to commemorate a Civil War battle now holds a memorial to the 14 victims of the bridge collapse.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and families of the victims have sued the towboat's owner and pilot, Joe Dedmon, for negligence.
Investigators have said Dedmon, 61, lost consciousness as he steered the tow toward the bridge. Authorities said Dedmon suffers from a heart condition that could have caused him to black out.
Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Becky
Not only were they 10 days early, they finished all lanes rather than just a single lane each way that was required.
Was this a minority or female owned contractor? Did they pay a living wage to everybody, or were the usual government rules suspended so the job would get done ahead of schedule?
If the company was minority or female owned, no one mentioned it. We likely would have heard mention of it had it been.
I love subtle sarcasm!
Michael
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