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NWA & River Valley bridges singled out for re-inspection
The bridges were last inspected by a now-fired AR-DOT inspector Share Updated: 5:38 PM CDT May 21, 2021
The bridges were last inspected by a now-fired AR-DOT inspector Share Updated: 5:38 PM CDT May 21, 2021
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Show Transcript HI ROBERT. HI PAIGE/BRANDON, TH AT FIRED CONTRACTOR BEING MONTY FRAZIER, HE AND HIS TEAM INSPECTED 9 BRIDGES ACROSS THE STATE TT HA AR-DOT IS BEING FORCED TO ESSENTIALLY RE- INSPECT AND SOME OF THOSE IDS BR ARE USED BY OUR VIEWERS ON A DAILY BASIS. IN ALL, THE ERARE FOUR BRIDGES TOTAL IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND THE RIV ER VALLEY THAT NEED TO BE GIVEN A NEW GREEN LIGHT. IN THE RIVER VALLEY THEY ARE THE BRIDGE THAT CARRIES INTERSTATE 540 OVER THE ARKANSAS RIVER, THE GARRISON AVENUE BRIDGE CARRYING HIGHWAY 71 OVER THE ARKANSAS RIVER AS WELL AS THE WEST FORT SMITH BR IDGE WHICH TAKES DRIVE RS ON HIGHWAY 64 OVER THE ARKANSAS RIVER. NOT TO BE LEFT OU
Kayaker says he photographed crack in I-40 bridge in 2016
May 20, 2021 / 9:30 PM / AP Bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee has major crack
A Mississippi River kayaker said photos he took about five years before a crack was found in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Tennessee and Arkansas appear to show the fracture that led transportation officials to close the span indefinitely last week.
Arkansas transportation officials said they cannot confirm or refute what s shown in the kayaker s photos, which raise questions about how early the crack appeared. An Associated Press photo editor inspected metadata from one of the photos and determined it was shot on August 6, 2016.
By: Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Arkansas -
A Mississippi River kayaker said photos he took about five years before a crack was found in the Interstate 40 bridge linking Tennessee and Arkansas appear to show the fracture that led transportation officials to close the span indefinitely last week.
Arkansas transportation officials said they cannot confirm or refute what s shown in the kayaker s photos, which raise questions about how early the crack appeared. An Associated Press photo editor inspected metadata from one of the photos and determined it was shot on August 6, 2016.
The I-40 bridge connecting Memphis and the Arkansas city of West Memphis was shut down on May 11 after inspectors found a crack in one of two 900-foot horizontal steel beams that are critical for the bridge s structural integrity. River barge traffic under the span was closed that day but reopened three days later. Road traffic has been rerouted to the nearby Interstate 55 bridge.
Fired inspector said safety concern stopped him from seeing I-40 bridge crack, document says Daniel Connolly and Misty Castile, Memphis Commercial Appeal
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Newly released public records identify the Arkansas bridge inspector who was fired after state officials said he missed a critical crack on the Hernando De Soto bridge, and a document says he failed to get close enough to assess a key spot in the structure.
Monty Frazier was team leader on Arkansas Department of Transportation reviews of the bridge in September 2019 and September 2020, newly released records say.