Thu May 20, 2021 - Southeast Edition
WMC Action News 5
This photo, pulled from 2019 drone footage according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, shows the fracture as it appeared at the time. Subsequent photos taken in 2021 show the fracture had expanded and caused extensive damage to the beam. (Arkansas Department of Transportation photo)
As the investigation continues as to why a significant beam fracture occurred on the I-40 bridge across the Mississippi River, an inspector with the
Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) who checked the 48-year-old structure in 2019 and failed to discover the crack, has been fired and may face criminal charges.
Interim repair could speed up reopening of Memphis bridge, officials says
A design team is looking at an interim repair for the crack on the Interstate 40 bridge in Memphis until a new part can be made to replace the bridge’s damaged section, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Friday.
The team is working on a design concept that could use steel rods that would “span over the fractured section, and provide the needed strength to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic,” TDOT said in a release.
An initial analysis of the bridge found it to be “stable,” and an independent firm was to take a second look on Friday, Tennessee’s Chief Engineer Paul Degges said earlier. Officials had said emergency repairs could take months and lead to delays in a major US shipping corridor.
Interim repair could speed up reopening of Memphis bridge, officials say
Tennessee DOT
A design team is looking at an interim repair for the crack on the Interstate 40 bridge in Memphis until a new part can be made to replace the bridge’s damaged section, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Friday.
The team is working on a design concept that could use steel rods that would “span over the fractured section, and provide the needed strength to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic,” TDOT said in a release.
An initial analysis of the bridge found it to be “stable,” and an independent firm was to take a second look on Friday, Tennessee’s Chief Engineer Paul Degges said earlier. Officials had said emergency repairs could take months and lead to delays in a major US shipping corridor.
The US Coast Guard said Friday that transit on the Mississippi River waterway under Interstate 40 bridge in Memphis has reopened after a crack forced the closure of the vital highway bridge.