KINGSTON, Okla. (KTEN) — The two-lane Roosevelt Memorial Bridge has been carrying traffic between Kingston and Durant across Lake Texoma for more than 80 years now.

In 2015, a major flood resulted in the mile-long span being temporarily closed. Small repairs and patches to the highway have been keeping it up, but now the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and motorists are joining forces to finally make more permanent repairs to a historic structure that is in need of a major overhaul... or replacement.

The Roosevelt Bridge carries US 70 across Lake Texoma.
The Roosevelt Bridge carries US 70 across Lake Texoma. (KTEN)

 "It's long overdue," said Jon, a motorist on US 70. "I've been witness to constant problems of this narrow bridge."

"It has lived its life expectancy," said state Sen. Jerry Alvord (R-District 14). "It was built in the 40s, and at this point in time it's not a matter of if... it's a matter of when. And at this point in time, we really don't have a choice."

Map of the existing Roosevelt Bridge and its surroundings.
Map of the existing Roosevelt Bridge and its surroundings. (ODOT)

ODOT presented several alternatives to the current bridge during a public meeting at Kingston High School on Tuesday night.

Maintaining the bridge's historic integrity could include anything from making substantial alterations to the current bridge to building a new one — while either retaining the historic span as a monument without traffic, or rehabilitating it to serve as half of a dual-bridge crossing.

"There are going to be some impacts to the environment," said Kirsten McCullough, planning and environmental team leader at Garver Engineering. "There will be some impacts to the community, and any construction project is going to cause some inconvenience."

Construction isn't anticipated until the end of the decade.

A proposed timeline for construction or repair of the Roosevelt Bridge.
A proposed timeline for construction or repair of the Roosevelt Bridge. (ODOT)

After explaining the options, the floor was opened up to questions. One of the biggest concerns was funding. ODOT doesn't yet have a price tag on extensive repairs or a new span, but they're also concerned they won't have enough money yet to really work on it.

"So let's assume that it's a couple hundred million dollar project," said ODOT district engineer Anthony Echelle. "The magnitude of that is two whole years of the entire southeastern Oklahoma construction budget."

But it's clear that something must be done to maintain this vital crossing

"Got a lot of interests on the lake," said Senator Alvord. "A lot of population growth here, and from what we can tell projections are saying it's going to do nothing but increase."

ODOT is still asking for public input up until August 10. You can visit their site to submit your opinions.