Photo By Brannen Parrish | A Kiewit construction worker sets up a core drill to take concrete samples of the...... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District took a major step in the replacement of the State Highway 100 bridge near Gore, Okla., Dec. 8 with the start of demolition efforts.
Crews from Kiewit, the contractor performing the work, used a combination of handheld equipment and heavy machinery to remove the first large section of guardrail from the the 72-year-old bridge, which spans the main spillway of Tenkiller Dam, Dec. 10.
The main spillway bridge was constructed concurrent with Tenkiller Dam in the 1950s. Because the structure is connected to the dam, demolition of the bridge requires careful, piece-by-piece dismantling.
“We’re going through the demolition process, and there are beams under this bridge that we must protect. So, they're cutting concrete sections of the bridge out between those beams, one piece at a time and pulling those beams out,” said Kristi Higgins, lead project engineer, Tulsa District.
The Tulsa District closed the main spillway bridge Oct. 6, 2025, to build walkways, set up the gantry crane and stage the equipment needed safely to execute demolition and reconstruction. State Highway 100 is an important thoroughfare for residents and visitors to Tenkiller Lake, said Raymond Todd, project manager, Tulsa District.
“The Tulsa District will provide regular project updates over the course of demolition and construction,” said Todd. “We prioritize worker safety, while executing projects for the public’s safety, and ask for patience while we work to revitalize infrastructure within the State of Oklahoma.”
The existing bridge is a steel structure and will be replaced with a modern concrete structure.
“Bridge safety is what's important,” said Higgins. “We inspect these bridges regularly, and at some point, a bridge just has to be replaced. You can only perform maintenance for so long until you have to rebuild it.”
Demolition should be completed by late February or early March 2026. The entire project is expected to take between two and two and a half years.
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2025 16:35 |
| Story ID: | 554084 |
| Location: | GORE, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, One piece at a time: Tulsa District begins Tenkiller spillway bridge demolition, by Brannen Parrish, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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