Despite rehabilitation of the 8,888-feet-long Crosstown bridge deck in 1977, a crack found in one of the pier beams in November 1989 attracted national attention to the deteriorating Crosstown bridge. The Crosstown was immediately closed for emergency repairs because it was built with a fracture critical design, meaning the structure could collapse if one particular piece gave way.  The closure created significant transportation problems on one of the few interstates that stretch from coast to coast.  I-40 is not only a major thoroughfare for residents of Oklahoma City, but for all of America.

Today, the cost of inspections and bridge upkeep has topped $1 million per year. The Crosstown bridge must be inspected every six months, whereas most bridges are inspected once every two years.

Heavier trucks are banned from using this part of a vital interstate highway.

Roadway features considered state-of-the-art when the Crosstown bridge was constructed in 1965 are now seriously outdated.  The on and off ramps are dangerously short by today’s design standards. Narrow shoulders do not provide refuge for stranded motorists.