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Credit Arkansas Department of Transportation
The “significant fracture” that shut down the 48-year-old Hernando de Soto Bridge across the Mississippi River between West Memphis and Memphis on Tuesday could have led to a “catastrophic event,” according to Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lori Tudor, and it’s too early to tell when either a short-term or long-term solution will be available.
The fracture is located about three-fourths of the way across the bridge from West Memphis to Memphis near where the two arches meet to form an “M.”
Tudor made her remarks during a Wednesday press conference where she said the fracture was discovered early in the afternoon on May 11 and occurred on one of two 900-foot, 24-inch-by-32-inch steel beams supporting the span across the river. In a press conference in Memphis, Tennessee Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Paul Degges said it was too early to tell when the bridge will reopen.
Credit idrivearkansas.net
Road and river travel continues to be affected as the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge over the Mississippi River stretches on.
Transportation officials said repairs could take months after the bridge was closed Tuesday following the discovery of a crack in a steel beam during an inspection.
Barge traffic along the river has stalled, while trucks and cars have faced hours-long delays from being diverted to the smaller Interstate 55 river bridge. The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday reported 16 vessels towing 229 barges are unable to pass under the bridge, which connects West Memphis, Ark. to Memphis, Tenn.
Credit Arkansas Department of Transportation
The Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee was shut down Tuesday afternoon after authorities said they found a crack in the span.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation tweeted that it found the crack during a routine inspection of the bridge over the Mississippi River. The department said it was working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to ensure the bridge is safe before it reopens.
Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Parker said the bridge would be closed at least through Tuesday night. The Tennessee Department of Transportation said the crack was found in the bottom side of the bridge truss.
Credit Michael Hibblen / KUAR News
Though Arkansas is not expected to see more winter precipitation until Sunday, below freezing temperatures in the next couple of days still pose a danger to the state’s roadways.
The ice storm, which traveled through the state late Wednesday into Thursday morning, brought snow, freezing rain and sleet. According to the state Department of Transportation’s I Drive Arkansas website, as of Thursday evening, the majority of roads in northeast Arkansas still had either slush, patches of ice or even ice coating them. Roads as south as Pine Bluff were impacted by the storm system.