Oklahoma DOT announces I-40 detours

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 30, 2002) — The Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation is rerouting traffic after a 500-foot section of Interstate 40 collapsed and fell into the Arkansas River on Sunday, killing as many as 13.

I-40 is a main east-west route across the United States. The Oklahoma DOT is directing westbound I-40 travelers to take exit 291, travel north on state Highway 10, then west on U.S. Highway 64, then south on state Highway 100, and return to I-40 at exit 287. The length of the detour is about 10 miles.

Eastbound I-40 travelers are being told to take exit 278, travel south on state Highway 2, east on state Highway 9, then north on U.S. Highway 59, returning to I-40 at exit 308. The total length of the detour is 60 miles.

The section of highway, about 35 miles west of the Arkansas state line, fell into the water after a barge slammed into its piers.