Massive logjam on Neosho River at Twin Bridges State Park is a growing problem

OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla. (KOAM) — With heavy rains across the region these past days a logjam has formed on the Neosho River at Twin Bridges State Park.

KOAM’s Shannon Becker is currently on scene gathering information. Estimates are the debris field is two football fields but it is continually growing.

One bystander told us he was from Chanute, Kan. upstream on the Neosho River. He said they had 9-inches of rain Saturday. That water and debris would still be coming towards Oklahoma.

Chatter on social media says US-60 will close so they can break up the debris field. However that is not confirmed here on scene. In fact at 4 p.m. City of Miami say they were told the road will not close and unsure if there is a plan to this growing problem.

Another issue to note is 1/2 mile downstream a BNSF railroad bridge. If all of this debris went downstream it would just pile up there causing the same issue.

We reached out to GRDA who provided us this statement:

“We are asking the public to use precautions in the area and advising boaters to stay clear of the immediate area and be mindful that debris could move under the bridge and downstream very rapidly.”

— GRDA

Other things to consider, the overpass (bridge) of US-60 belongs to ODOT .

This is also within the Wyandotte Nation and on scene we talked to Wyandotte Emergency Management . They were not prepared to comment at this time. But it appears authorities are coming together to create a game plan.

THE CITY OF MIAMI

About 3 p.m. Monday the City of Miami released a statement along with photos.

"A very large log and debris jam has formed as a result of heavy rain and floodwaters at the Neosho River Bridge at Twin Bridges. At this time the City of Miami is not aware of any plans by ODOT, BNSF or GRDA to attempt to remove the debris, and there are no plans to close the bridge to traffic at this time. Officials tell us ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation), BNSF railroad which has a bridge downstream toward the lake nearby, nor GRDA have responded with any plans to remove the debris."

TWIN BRIDGES STATE PARK

This is the confluence of the Neosho and Spring River. The Spring River side is clear of major debris. The park is a favorite for fishermen and it is busy today.

Watch for live updates from the scene.