Chickasaws to replace bridge

The old full truss bridge on the far north edge of Washington – well known to many locals – will soon be replaced with a modern bridge.

The bridge, located on Walnut Creek Ave.,  has been closed to traffic for years.

The Chickasaw Nation is footing the bill for the roughly $1 million project, which will save McClain County the cost of the rebuild.

“The Chickasaw Nation has been generous enough to replace the bridge,” said McClain County District 2 Commissioner Wilson Lyles. “McClain County District 2 is very pleased and excited to be working with the Chickasaw Nation on this particular project and continuing to build on our relationship with the Nation.”

The old bridge is currently in the process of being disassembled for it to be relocated.

The new bridge, which will have a pedestrian and bicycle pathway in addition to the car lanes, will be finished sometime in the next couple of years.

Poe and Associates of Oklahoma City is the engineering firm on the roughly 120 foot long span.

The initial design process has already started.

On March 28th Lyles met with The Chickasaw Nation’s Roads and Bridges Transportation division leaders Terry Holman and Bo Ellis at the site of the bridge to continue talks about the bridge.

Initial talks about the new structure began last fall, according to Lyles.

“McClain County District 2 has had the pleasure to enjoy other projects to which the Chickasaw Nation has contributed funds,” Lyles said. “We appreciate the Chickasaw Nation for recognizing our local transportation needs.”