A cargo ship impacted the supports of a bridge over the Arkansas River less than a week after a deadly incident in Baltimore
© Twitter / OK Highway Patrol/DPS
The Oklahoma State Patrol has completely closed off traffic from a highway south of Sallisaw after a barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River on Saturday.
Law enforcement is diverting traffic away from the area until inspections of the bridge can be made, the Oklahoma State Patrol wrote on X (formerly Twitter). There were no reports of injuries on the highway or the barge, AP news quoted state patrol spokesperson Sarah Stewart.
It was not immediately known what led to the collision. Video circulating on X shows the moment the barge impacted the bridge supports.
The incident comes less than a week after the cargo hauler MV Dali struck and completely collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, killing 6 people. The enormous freighter ship struck the supports of the 1.6-mile (2.6 km) long bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning, causing the whole structure to topple into the river, taking vehicles and people with it.
Another bridge struck by a barge.U.S. 59 Bridge in Sallisaw OklahomaDayton Holland and her family captured this video as they were fishing near the bridge. pic.twitter.com/Raw9eCqOzr
— HighImpactFlix (@HighImpactFlix) March 30, 2024
Operations to clear the bridge rubble weighing down the MV Dali are currently ongoing. While the cargo hauler and bridge rubble are blocking the way, the port city of Baltimore is unable to resume marine traffic, a key industry for the area. Crews worked to cut up portions of the metal bridge, with the first section of the structure being lifted on Saturday.
US-59 south of Sallisaw at the Kerr Reservoir is completely shut down at this time due to a barge that has struck the bridge. Troopers are diverting traffic away from the area. The bridge is going to be shut down until inspections of the bridge can be made. pic.twitter.com/IONAbvGOEk
— OK Highway Patrol/DPS (@OHPDPS) March 30, 2024
By some estimates, the repair bill could end up running upward of $1 billion if a whole new bridge would need to be erected, the Washington post wrote on Thursday.
READ MORE: US bridge collapses after being hit by ship (VIDEO)
