Oklahoma State Patrol diverts traffic after barge hits bridge

SALLISAW, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Patrol said Saturday that it closed a highway south of Sallisaw after a barge struck a bridge over Arkansas River.

Troopers closed South U.S. Highway 59 about 1:25 p.m. after receiving word of the incident and diverted traffic from the area, state patrol spokesperson Sarah Stewart said. The bridge, which crosses the Arkansas River where it enters the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, will remain closed until it can be inspected, she said.

There were no reports of injuries on the highway or the barge, Stewart said.

It was not immediately known what caused the barge to hit the bridge.

The news came as engineers worked Saturday to lift a section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland after it crumpled into the Patapsco River as a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its main supports.