ODOT To Update On Belle Isle Bridge Repairs

A bridge that thousands of Oklahomans use each day will be the hot topic at a meeting Monday morning.

The Belle Isle Bridge is the subject of a contact bid for an emergency project to repair extensive deterioration. At 11 a.m. Monday, officials with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation plan to update us on the emergency repairs being done to the Belle Isle Bridge.

4/27/2015 Related Story: ODOT Crews Making Emergency Repairs After Damage Found On Belle Isle Bridge

The deterioration was uncovered when workers doing scheduled repairs chipped away some of that concrete and noticed a bigger problem. Years of salting and heavy use deteriorated the concrete and re-bar on the bridge. The discovery prompted lane and ramp closures on the bridge starting on April 16.

ODOT is already working on a permanent fix. Monday morning, officials will share more on those plans and the long term solutions for the bridge.

We are told there are 80 piers in all and ODOT expects more of them will need to get steel reinforcements.

So how long will these lane closures and repairs last? ODOT estimates this project should end in the early part of 2016.