Despite increases in transportation funding and an aggressive program to improve the state's roads and bridges, federal data shows hundreds of Oklahoma bridges are outdated and in poor condition.
An Associated Press analysis of bridges in the National Bridge Inventory shows Oklahoma had 414 bridges across the state that are both structurally deficient and fracture critical.
State transportation officials say that number has since been reduced to 348 as a result of increased funding for programs to fix and replace both state and county bridges, but acknowledge more work is needed.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokeswoman Terry Angier says Oklahoma had underfunded transportation for decades, resulting in a huge backlog of bridges in need of repair or replacement.
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