Officials say only cosmetic damage was seen, but nothing structural.
Tulsa World
By JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Published: 11/8/20112:22 AM
Last Modified: 11/8/20116:30 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma bridges within 50 miles of the epicenters of Saturday's earthquakes sustained no structural damage, although the quakes might have caused some cosmetic damage, transportation officials said Monday.
Teams of inspectors were activated immediately after Saturday's earthquakes to do a rapid inspection of bridges, and they are now doing more detailed examinations, said Gary Ridley, Oklahoma transportation secretary and director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Saturday night's quake, a magnitude 5.6, was the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma.
Minor cosmetic damage was found on a handful of bridges, but it's difficult to determine whether the damage, which resembled normal heat buckling, was caused by the earthquake or was already there, Ridley said. The damage was fixed within hours, he said.
Casey Shell, ODOT director of operations, told transportation commissioners during their monthly meeting that the state's bridges are built to withstand seismic activity and appeared to do their job... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Tue, November 8, 2011
by John Cox