Photo: Montgomery Richard (Shutterstock)
The Hernando DeSoto bridge a vital highway crossing that’s about two miles long and located between Memphis and eastern Arkansas was forced to close earlier this week after transportation officials discovered a massive crack in a core part of its skeleton. Now, it’s not clear when that fissure will be fixed.
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Since that crack was discovered during a routine inspection this past Tuesday, emergency closures on the bridge and the waterway below have held up thousands of vehicles and close to 800 barges carrying crude oil, along with crops like grain and soy. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s official numbers put the bridge’s traffic at about 45,000 vehicles per day, which will now be diverted to (and clogging up) nearby roadways.