The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District and the City of Mannford will mark the 50th Anniversary of Keystone Dam in conjunction with a ribbon cutting for the new Highway 151A Bridge over the dam from 9:00-11:00 a.m., Friday, Nov. 14, on the new bridge. The bridge will reopen to traffic at 3:00 that afternoon.
The ceremony is open to members of the media and the public. Guest speakers include Oklahoma Secretary of State Chris Benge, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Gary Ridley, City of Mannford Mayor Tyler Buttram, City of Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett, Tulsa District Commander Col. Richard Pratt, and others.
Construction began on Keystone Dam in Jan. 1957 and the project was placed into Flood Control operation by Sept. 1964 at a cost of $123 million. The dam has saved more than $1.6 billion in flood damages since the creation of the impoundment.
Work to replace the 50-year-old Highway 151A Bridge over the dam began 13 months ago with the roadway closing to traffic Oct. 28, 2013. The roadway is reopening in November as originally promised. Kiewit Construction out of Omaha, Neb. won the $15.6 million contract in July 2013. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation contributed $6 million to the project and has supported Corps inspections of the project and participated in the design review.