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                        Vessels and personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played important roles
                         in recovery operations after the collapse of the I-40 bridge near Webbers Falls, Okla.
                         (Photo courtesy of Tulsa District)

Corps people, boats help at I-40 bridge collapse

 By Alicia Embry
Tulsa District

The Memorial Day weekend turned disastrous on May 26 when the towboat Robert Y. Love guiding two empty barges up the Arkansas River veered from the navigation channel. One of the 490-foot barges slammed into two support piers on the west side of the Interstate 40 bridge near Webbers Falls, Okla.

Within seconds, 580 feet of the highway bridge collapsed, sending tons of concrete 60 feet into the churning waters below. Ten vehicles plunged into the river, killing 14 people and injuring five. The accident was the third deadliest of its kind in the nation's history.

Tulsa District employees rushed to the scene and assisted rescue and recovery efforts that lasted four days.

The bridge will take six months to rebuild and cost more than $10 million, according to the Public Affairs Office of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.