Post-1945 Common Concrete and Steel Bridges
In November, 2012, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued a Program Comment relieving all federal agencies from Section 106 requirements to consider effects on certain types of bridges commonly built after World War II. These types of bridges are widely considered to lack individual distinction, are not candidates for preservation in place, and are not candidates for relocation.
These structures have been classified into four types:
(A) Reinforced concrete slab bridges
(B) Reinforced concrete beam and girder bridges
(C) Steel multi-beam or multi-girder bridges
(D) Culverts and reinforced concrete boxes
In order to implement the Program Comment, several stipulations need to be met. At the local level, the FHWA-Oklahoma Division and ODOT were to consult with Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office and other interested parties to identify exceptional examples of post-1945 steel and concrete bridges that would otherwise be included in the Program Comment. The parties concurred that post-1945 bridges and culverts along Oklahoma’s Scenic Byways (Cherokee Hills Byway, Oklahoma Route 66 Scenic Byway, Talimena Scenic Drive, and Wichita Mountains Byway) would be exempt from the Program Comment. Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts documented on these roadways would be submitted to the Oklahoma SHPO for individual review should a Section 106 undertaking occur that might affect the structure. In addition to these exceptions, individual bridges and culverts located on portions of Route 66 identified in the Final Survey Report for the Oklahoma Route 66 Historic Resources Survey, 1926-1970 and the Oklahoma Route 66 Roadbed Documentation Project (1926-1970): A Survey of Roadbed and Integral Structures would be submitted to the Oklahoma SHPO for individual review should a Section 106 undertaking occur that might affect the structure. These exceptions were submitted to FHWA, at their National office, and accepted. The Program Comment was implemented in Oklahoma on February 7, 2013.
All federal agencies conducting projects involving post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts in Oklahoma are welcome to apply the Program Comment to their undertaking. The exceptions of the four scenic byways will apply to that agency as well.
In order to facilitate consultant and agency review of the bridges and culverts identified in the Program Comment, ODOT is providing the following resources.
Oklahoma’s Scenic Byways: This kml file loads the routes of the four scenic byways in Oklahoma and includes legs of Historic Route 66 identified in the two studies referenced above.
Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts identified in the Program Comment: The raw data for all post-1945 bridges in Oklahoma are provided in the spreadsheets below. These lists have been prepared using the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data on file at ODOT. While they are comprehensive, the Program Comment specifically states that when NBI data is used to identify a bridge, it must be field-verified by a qualified professional to ensure that the date and type have been recorded correctly. The two spreadsheets containing concrete and steel structures are those that are included in the Program Comment and are provided in the supplemental Google Earth kml files. The spreadsheet containing “other” bridges includes concrete or steel frame structures, timber stringers or girders, and aluminum structures that are not presented in the Program Comment and will be documented and submitted to SHPO for review when they are investigated as part of a Section 106 undertaking.
We have prepared kml files for the Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges, listed above and in the Program Comment as types A, B, and C, as their respective ODOT Field Divisions. The culverts, type D in the Program Comment, are presented as their own kml file.
These structures have been classified into four types:
(A) Reinforced concrete slab bridges
(B) Reinforced concrete beam and girder bridges
(C) Steel multi-beam or multi-girder bridges
(D) Culverts and reinforced concrete boxes
In order to implement the Program Comment, several stipulations need to be met. At the local level, the FHWA-Oklahoma Division and ODOT were to consult with Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office and other interested parties to identify exceptional examples of post-1945 steel and concrete bridges that would otherwise be included in the Program Comment. The parties concurred that post-1945 bridges and culverts along Oklahoma’s Scenic Byways (Cherokee Hills Byway, Oklahoma Route 66 Scenic Byway, Talimena Scenic Drive, and Wichita Mountains Byway) would be exempt from the Program Comment. Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts documented on these roadways would be submitted to the Oklahoma SHPO for individual review should a Section 106 undertaking occur that might affect the structure. In addition to these exceptions, individual bridges and culverts located on portions of Route 66 identified in the Final Survey Report for the Oklahoma Route 66 Historic Resources Survey, 1926-1970 and the Oklahoma Route 66 Roadbed Documentation Project (1926-1970): A Survey of Roadbed and Integral Structures would be submitted to the Oklahoma SHPO for individual review should a Section 106 undertaking occur that might affect the structure. These exceptions were submitted to FHWA, at their National office, and accepted. The Program Comment was implemented in Oklahoma on February 7, 2013.
All federal agencies conducting projects involving post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts in Oklahoma are welcome to apply the Program Comment to their undertaking. The exceptions of the four scenic byways will apply to that agency as well.
In order to facilitate consultant and agency review of the bridges and culverts identified in the Program Comment, ODOT is providing the following resources.
Oklahoma’s Scenic Byways: This kml file loads the routes of the four scenic byways in Oklahoma and includes legs of Historic Route 66 identified in the two studies referenced above.
Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges and culverts identified in the Program Comment: The raw data for all post-1945 bridges in Oklahoma are provided in the spreadsheets below. These lists have been prepared using the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data on file at ODOT. While they are comprehensive, the Program Comment specifically states that when NBI data is used to identify a bridge, it must be field-verified by a qualified professional to ensure that the date and type have been recorded correctly. The two spreadsheets containing concrete and steel structures are those that are included in the Program Comment and are provided in the supplemental Google Earth kml files. The spreadsheet containing “other” bridges includes concrete or steel frame structures, timber stringers or girders, and aluminum structures that are not presented in the Program Comment and will be documented and submitted to SHPO for review when they are investigated as part of a Section 106 undertaking.
- Post-1945 Common Concrete and Steel Bridges
- Post-1945 Concrete and Steel Culverts
- Other Post-1945 Bridges
We have prepared kml files for the Post-1945 concrete and steel bridges, listed above and in the Program Comment as types A, B, and C, as their respective ODOT Field Divisions. The culverts, type D in the Program Comment, are presented as their own kml file.
- Division 1: Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Sequoyah, Wagoner
- Division 2: Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, Marshall, McCurtain, Pittsburg, Pushmataha
- Division 3: Cleveland, Coal, Hughes, Johnston, Lincoln, McClain, Okfuskee, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Seminole
- Division 4: Canadian, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Noble, Oklahoma, Payne
- Division 5: Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Roger Mills, Tillman, Washita
- Division 6: Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Harper, Major, Texas, Woods, Woodward
- Division 7: Caddo, Carter, Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Jefferson, Love, Murray, Stephens
- Division 8: Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington
- Culverts: All counties