During the April 27, 2024 tornado that ravaged the historic downtown Sulphur business district and adjacent areas, one of the many structures damaged or destroyed was the Veterans Lake Spillway Pedestrian Bridge.
The bridge, which crosses Veterans Lake spillway and connects to a walking path around the lake, was torn from its abutments and sent plunging into the lake as the violent EF-3 tornado swept from the south into the park. A National Park Service dive team later moved the bridge out to deeper water and sank it in the middle of lake for a fish habitat.
But a good ending to the story was written last week when crews put the finishing touches on new bridge to connect pedestrians to the popular walking path.
According to Linda Edwards, project manager at Chickasaw National Recreation, the new bridge was funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief of Federally Owned Roads fund, and the project was completed on Thursday, Feb. 19.
Crews last week, above and at right, complete the installation of a new walking bridge over Veterans Lake spillway in Chickasaw National Recreation Area after the original structure was destroyed in the April 27, 2024 tornado. The bridge connects to a walking path around the lake.
