The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-20
RIVER LAUGHED
AT ENGINEERS
Canadian Makes Effective
Resistance to Bridge
Building
PIERS ARE DEMOLISHED
Specifications Are Revised
and Provisions Are Made
Against Floods

OKLAHOMA CITY, March 10
when the Meridian highway bridge
,.,vsen Union City in Canadian
.opr,y and Minco in Grady county
4, completed, another chapter will
ho,o been written into the evcntful
.,orv Of the tanning of the wild
NH canadian river. From the
! limo the bridge was started more
,ba, "a wear ago. the trsacherous
',rssm has battled with all its cum
Ing 10 prevent engineers from
,trstrhing across it an artery of
s,coi and concrete through which
rul flow the traffic OF one of the
busiest highways in central Okla
homa
midst OF IT'S building, has acquired
a reputation among bridge build
rrs OF the southwest on account OF
Tho difficulties which have been
oyercome in sinking the massive
piers upon which II Is 20 rest.
When the heavy flood OF 1921
swcpt down the south Canadian an
abutnent and one pier had been
romplcted. These were heavy con-
crete structures 80 feet high and
firmly placed. When the flood
waters had reccded, both had dis
anpearod. Engineers plumbed the
river bed for yards around. but to
shis dav they have not been found.
81 new abutment and n new pier,
Zach much heavier than the old,
have been put in place and the plans
Tor the bridge changed by the state
highway department TO provide a
structure which Will Withstand IA
similar attack,
The new piers and abutmcnt are
40 feet high. The piers are 33x15
at the bottom and 24x6 at the top.
They are made Of hollow concrete
with walls two feet thick of double
reinforced concrete. Into their
hollow Centers tons OF sand were
poured In order to give them weight,
and by flaring the bottoms, the
center Of gravity was lowered so as
10 make II more difficult for a
rushing flood to strike them down.
Pointed edges. the only ones in the
state. were placed on the upstream
side of the replaced piers 10 cut
the water and the spans of the
bridge. originally 146 v-et long, were
extended at this particular place
over the main current, to 100 feet
in order 10 give the water more free
dom in passage.
one OF the most interesting fea-
lures Of the bridges construction is
that, following the revising OF the
plans, the bridge was constructed in
detail on temporary piers on the
grounds OF the Illinois Steel Bridge
company at Jacksonville, I'LL, before
being taken apart and shipped TO
oklahoma where It Is being re-
assembled over the Canadian river.
This unusual procedure was related
b. officials Of the state highway de-
partment. Engineers from the de.
nartment went TO Jacksonville and
inspected the bridge thoroughly,
noting various desired changes. be-
fore It was accepted and ordered
shipped TO this state. This was
done In order that it might he de-
signed as accurately as possible to
meet the conditions OF the river at
me spot where II was 10 be erected.
The bridge, when completed, will
10 1854 feet long, and will cost
$4,000. Half OF this amount will
be paid by Canadian and Grady
counties Jointly and the other half
by the United States government in
The form Of federal aid.
Highway department officials ev-
pect the actual work on tho bridge
70 be completed by late summer or
iall' after which long earth ap-
Woaches extending across a flood
area OF more than three-quarters Of
mhe viii remain to be constructed.
me bridge will have an 1S-foot
roadway constructed of reinforced
'oncretc and paved. rnfs roadway
sll be - feet above the high water
"eL II Is expected that more than
year VIII elapse before the bridge