ODOT repairs hole on the Broken Arrow Expressway again
A hole is seen on Highway 51 near Pittsburgh Avenue August 2, 2010.
Photographer: Robert Garrison/KJRH
Copyright 2010 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 08/04/2010
TULSA - 2 left lanes of the Broken Arrow Expressway at Pittsburg Avenue were closed for repair work until early Thrusday morning.
A hole that was 2 feet wide was reported by a driver Monday. Crews patched it Monday, but now leaders say the patch it is not holding up.
All lanes of the expressway and Pittsburg are open for traffic once again.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation leaders blame the extreme heat for the road failure, and the failure of the subsequent patch work.
City leaders say no street is guaranteed to hold up in triple digit heat. They say it can cause expansion joints that are built into the road, to shift.
"We generally have what we call load transfer devices or bars for them to slide on just inches. If those get locked up, you can have just a catastrophic blow up of things," said Public Works Deputy Director Paul Zachary.
Street maintenance crews say drivers are their eyes and ears and ask that you report problem areas. To report street problems to the City of Tulsa, call 596-2100. To report non-emergency problems to ODOT call 405-521-2557, otherwise call 9-1-1.
Copyright 2010 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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