Almost all of you have been extremely patient and professional in requesting information on the I-40 bridge hit. However, there are a few items we feel need to be addressed at this time.

We understand that you need current information on the progress of this project and are doing our best to answer your questions. We are putting daily updates on our webpage at www.okladot.state.ok.us . Digital photos and graphics are also available on the web site. Yesterday we provided footage of the demolition efforts to this point for the television stations. Our video crews are still on site and we will have more footage available for you soon. We will notify you when it is ready to be picked up. For those stations not in the Oklahoma City area, if you prefer you can work with your sister stations to obtain copies of the footage.

Please keep in mind this is a 24-hour process, our engineers and contractors are working around the clock to remove the debris from the river and complete the demolition phase so we can begin rebuilding the bridge. There are several variables involved in this process that are not normally associated with the normal demolition of a bridge.

For example,

• The barges must be secure before the process can begin

• We must take every precaution to ensure no damage is done to the remaining portion of the bridge. To ensure the stability of the undamaged portion of the bridge, no large explosives will be used.

• This is a concentrated effort. Explosives will only be used if other equipment is not able to accomplish the task at hand. Because of this we do not have a scheduled time, or know if explosives will definitely be used.

It's in times of crises that true professionalism shows through. Your patience and understanding since the I-40 bridge hit is greatly appreciated. We understand your need for this information and are doing everything possible to provide it.

Friday we took all interested media to the site for a two-hour press briefing. We made our engineers available to you and provided ample opportunity for you to film/photograph the work site.

We understand that you are simply trying to do your jobs and would like to have access to the work site. Please realize that we too are trying to do our job and along with providing you information, we must consider your safety.

Because this situation is so fluid, we cannot keep the site open to the public. However, there are other options available to you. The site is visible from the park where the memorial is located. It is also possible to safely film from other locations near the site.

Additionally, because I-40 is a primary national transportation corridor, our engineers need to focus on the task at hand. It is not possible for us to pull them away from their work to talk with the media at this time. We ask that you bear with us and we will make them available to you as soon as possible.