What Happened?
When Oklahoma City was required to dismantle a major bridge and rebuild it one mile south, an opportunity for savings became apparent. Careful planning and creative thinking enabled the city to salvage beams from the deconstructed bridge that could be used to repair other bridges in the city.
The Backstory
Nearly 25 years ago, a crack was found on a major highway called the “Crosstown,” which was build in 1966. The deteriorating bridge was closed for emergency repairs, and ever since has been costing the city $1 million in emergency repairs every year. It became clear that the Crosstown would need to be dismantled, with a new I-40 Crosstown rebuilt one mile away.
The Opportunity
According to reports, during the planned deconstruction of the Crosstown, it became clear that “about 1,800” steel beams were still in great condition, and could last another 50 years, minimum. Knowing that, officials from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation worked with Governor Mary Fallin to develop a plan to recycle the beams for use in other bridges.
This turned out to be an incredibly important strategy: According to reports, Oklahoma has more than 4,000 structurally deficient bridges, and more than 14,000 total bridges that require care and maintenance. The beams from the deconstructed Crosstown would prove invaluable.
The Plan
The Oklahoma DOT plan called for the removal, inspection, numbering or “serializing,” shipping, and storage of the beams. The beams were to be stored in one of twenty “beam staging areas” around the state, where they could be reused on other city bridges. According to reports, funding for the plan was generated by increasing motor vehicle excise taxes and fees from 15 percent to 20 percent, phased over a three-year period.
Brenda Perry of the Oklahoma DOT tells Gov1 that 1,690 beams have been removed and shipped to storage; 203 beams are remaining. Reports claim that the value of each beam is $8,000, which means the total material value of recycled beams exceeds $14 million. So far, bridge projects in three counties—Stephens, Kay and Pawnee—have utilized beams recycled from the Crosstown bridge.
The Lesson
The project was not simple, but with the collective effort of the DOT, the state legislature, and the governor, Oklahoma City provided an example of entities working together to reduce the cost of infrastructure investments. It is thought to be the largest “direct recycling effort” of its kind in the nation.
Beams from the Crosstown are expected to be used to rebuild more than 300 state bridges, saving millions of dollars.
Has your municipality had experience recycling infrastructure? If so, please contact Gov1.