Soon, Oklahoma’s bridges won’t be falling down.

Oklahoma has the highest number of deficient bridges in the nation, according to the Transportation Revenues Used Strictly for Transportation Coalition, but is repairing the deficiencies – giving bridges the attention they need for safer travel.

In the last legislative session, Oklahoma lawmakers approved a $300 million bond issue to allow the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to fulfill its eight-year, $2.7 billion plan to replace and repair more than 500 bridges.

“Things are looking better,” said Cole Hackett, spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. “We’re really trying to reverse this trend. There are things fighting against us, especially the cost of construction materials, which has skyrocketed in the last few years.”

Before 2006, Oklahoma bridges had been assigned the same amount of funding each year since the mid 1980s. Hackett said repair and replacements costs eventually surpassed the amount budgeted for bridges.

According to ODOT, there are currently more than 6,700 bridges across Oklahoma. The American Society of Civil Engineers released a report in 2005 claiming more than 38 percent of those bridges were structurally deficient. At the time, ODOT only received enough funding to replace about 10 of the deficient bridges each year.

But in 2006, two pieces of state legislation paved the way for state bridge reconstruction. House bill 1176 and Senate bill 1288 provided additional finances and systems to fund bridge repairs.

The Senate bill provided $100 million that was used to fund repairs for 65 of the worst bridges.

The House bill initiated a system that continually provides additional bridge funding based on the amount of legislative growth.

“Those were the two largest sources of funding in ODOT history,” Hackett said. “Thanks to the legislature, we’re making some headway, and we’ve made it a priority. They have let us choose the bridges that need it the most, so that’s been a good thing.”

Hackett said in the last 30 months, ODOT has replaced 242 bridges for about $682 million.

Now Oklahoma has only 56 bridges that are load posted, meaning some vehicles are prohibited from driving on them because the bridge has a weight limit.

Bob Rusch, bridge engineer for ODOT, said that while some bridges are structurally deficient, they are safe. He said ODOT does monthly inspections on the bridges that are in the worst condition.

Rusch said some deck truss bridges, like the I-35 bridge that collapsed last year in Minneapolis, are dangerous, but ODOT is currently eliminating any that could be high risk. Deck truss bridges include a metal framework and are designed with the roadbed atop a truss. They are one of the oldest forms of bridges.

“We have learned what to avoid,” Rusch said. “There are four deck trusses here in Oklahoma right now, two of which are under construction. One other is scheduled for construction, and the other has had a lot of work done to it.”

Hackett said most older bridges, like the I-40 cross-town bridge located south of downtown Oklahoma City, typically lack redundancy – a system that provides backup support if a beam or support system fails. These bridges receive first priority in being repaired. The I-40 bridge is scheduled to be repaired by 2012.