The barge, which was fully loaded with wheat, was tied off at Consolidated Grain & Barge Company's grain elevator in Webbers Falls when it somehow got loose and began drifting down the river, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). The elevator is located about a mile and a half north of the Interstate 40 bridge.
Gore Police Officer Jarrett Cooney said he was pumping gas into his patrol car at a convenience store in Gore between 6:45 and 7:15 a.m., shortly after he came on duty at 6 a.m., when a man came by and told him that he had seen a barge that looked like it was loose.
Cooney said he went to look and saw that the barge didn't have a tow boat on it and it wasn't tied up, but when he first saw the barge it wasn't in the middle of the channel.
"It looked like it was beached on the same side as the grain elevator," Cooney said.
Cooney immediately began calling area officials, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) and the grain company, to notify them of the situation.
The barge passed under the U.S. Highway 64 bridge, and continued drifting south toward the Interstate 40 bridge, bringing back images of the May 2002 bridge collapse. In that incident, a barge hit a bridge support and caused a 600-foot section of the bridge span to collapse, sending vehicles into the river and killing 14 travelers.
Carrie Clear, ODOT spokesperson, said the OHP notified ODOT about the barge at about 7:30 a.m. and ODOT dispatched road crews immediately. Clear said they were prepared to open detours if needed, but they did not use them. ODOT had OHP on site as a precaution if they needed to close the Interstate 40 bridge. Clear said the barge did hit one of the pier protection cells at State Highway 100. The protection cell, she said, did its job by directing the barge back into the channel. Cells are in place to deflect objects that might hit the piers.
With help from Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne, ODOT employees were able to get a boat and inspect the State Highway 100 bridge at Webbers Falls and Gore, Clear said.
"There is no damage to the bridge," Clear said.
A tug boat was dispatched to control the barge. Cooney said Gore and Webbers Falls officers, the OHP, and deputies from the Sequoyah and Muskogee counties sheriff's offices assisted in trying to slow traffic on Interstate 40.
Sequoyah County Sheriff Johnny Philpot said he had deputies on the scene in case the bridge needed to be closed. His office also contacted other area law enforcement agencies.
Philpot said he watched the barge drift toward the bridge, which made everyone at the scene nervous, until the tugboat caught up with it.
"It never did reach the bridge," Philpot said. "It was a relief."
Cooney speculates that the barge possibly came untied because of the strong current from the dam.
"It was hopping on down the river pretty good," Cooney said. "It was sideways."
Cooney said it took about 30 to 45 minutes for the barge to travel from the State Highway 100 bridge to near the Interstate 40 bridge.
"It was pretty crazy," Cooney said.
Cooney said the barge was so big, there was nothing anyone could do.
"We could see it headed right toward the bridge," Cooney said.
Dana Tracy, Rural Fire Protection District No. 1 fire chief, said firefighters were dispatched between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. Tracy said he had a pumper truck and command van on Interstate 40 at the Carlile exit to slow down westbound traffic on Interstate 40. Gore police were ahead of them and Tracy said OHP troopers were on the eastbound lanes of the interstate. Vian emergency services were also put on standby.
"I know they were very concerned," Tracy said.
Commander David Stalfort with the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office in Memphis, Tenn., said a Coast Guard team is still in the process of investigating the incident.
Security and safety are the Coast Guard's prime concerns, and will be finding out why the barge broke away, Stalfort said.
He said that as of July 1, all facilities and vessels operating on the Arkansas River must have security plans in place. He said facilities monitor vessels that leave the elevator. Stalfort said the grain company notified the Coast Guard when they discovered the barge was adrift, and told them that they were attempting to get the barge back.
Stalfort said as soon as they received the call, they sent out a call to all vessels in the area that the barge was adrift. He said other vessels will usually try to help if another vessel is in distress, which is what happened in this case when a nearby tugboat came to the barge's rescue.
Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne was concerned about having another disaster like the Interstate 40 bridge collapse two years ago.
Horne said she was contacted between 6:30 and 7 a.m. about the barge by Gore Police Officer Jarrett Cooney.
"That kind of woke me up real good," Horne said.
Horne began making phone calls, contacting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the OHP, and ODOT.
"My concern was the barge getting down and hitting the Interstate 40 bridge," Horne said.
Horne said she was also concerned about the barge hitting the State Highway 100 bridge between Webbers Falls and Gore.
"I think everyone was concerned for a while," Horne said.
Horne said the situation was tense because the barge was heavily loaded, and they wanted to prevent another tragedy.
Horne said the adrift barge may teach a lesson to be more cautious and watch the river.
"We'll all try to keep a closer watch now," Horne said.
