I-40 Bridge Collapse Memorial - Webbers Falls, Oklahoma
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Max and 99
N 35° 30.830 W 095° 07.669
15S E 307039 N 3932109
Memorial honoring the victims of the I-40 Bridge Collapse that occurred on Memorial Day Weekend 2002.
Waymark Code: WMC5WC
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2011
Views: 23
This beautiful memorial honoring the fourteen victims of I-40 Bridge Collapse is located at the Webbers Falls Historic Park. The event occured on one of the busiest travel days of the year (Memorial Day), as families were travelling to favorite vacation spots for the weekend. Webbers Falls is on the north side of I-40 as it crosses the Kerr Reservoir.
The monument has two markers on the west side giving information on the disaster. Around the center granite piece more names are listed, and the others are shown on the panels at the back of the memorial. This is a very tall sculpture, with the main focus being a large bridge support on which a young girl is standing, reaching for a dove. Two clocks on the center piece show the exact time of the disaster.
Benches and flowers are placed along the outside edge of the memorial. Parking is available on the street next to the memorial, or closer to the campground area to the north.
Text on plaque:
"In Loving Memory Of"
Our friends and family members lost in the I-40 Bridge Tragedy of May 26, 2002
Webbers Falls, Oklahoma
Dedicated May 26, 2003
Text on second plaque:
"Going Home"
Dedicated by Town of Webbers Falls
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Prepared by
Shahla Rahimi-Reynolds, Concept Artist
White Engineering Associates, Memorial Engineer
Magnum Construction Inc., Memorial Contractor
From wikipedia:
The I-40 bridge disaster was a bridge collapse that occurred southeast of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma on May 26, 2002. Joe Dedmon, captain of the tugboat Robert Y. Love, experienced a blackout and lost control of the ship. This, in turn, caused the barge he was controlling to collide with a bridge support. The result was a 580-foot (176.78 m) section of the Interstate 40 bridge plunging into Kerr Reservoir on the Arkansas River. Fourteen people died when several automobiles and tractor trailers fell from the bridge.
Rescue efforts were complicated when a man, William James Clark, impersonating a US Army Captain, was able to take command of the disaster scene for two days. Mr Clark's efforts included directing FBI agents and appropriating vehicles and equipment for the rescue effort, before fleeing the scene. Mr. Clark, already a two time felon, was later apprehended in Canada.
An estimated 20,000 vehicles per day were rerouted for about two months while crews rebuilt the bridge. Traffic resumed Monday, July 29, 2002, only two months after the disaster. The reopening set a new national record for such a project, which would normally be expected to take six months.
On Memorial Day of 2003, that year on May 26, a memorial statue was dedicated by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. The artist, Shahla Rahimi-Reynolds, created the sculpture and attended the dedication. The Cherokee Children's Choir performed songs in their native language during the dedication they were introduced by Chad Smith — Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Disaster Date: 05/26/2002
Date of dedication: 05/26/2003
Memorial Sponsors: OK Dept. of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration
Disaster Type: Technological
Parking Coordinates: Not Listed
Relevant Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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