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Update (Thursday, May 13): A section of the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee remains closed with the queue of vessels now at 44 vessels with a total of 709 barges in queue, the Coast Guard said in an update. “River reopening is dependent on TDOT inspection results,” it said.
The U.S. Coast Guard has closed a portion of the Mississippi River near the I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge in Memphis, Tennessee after a “significant crack” was discovered near the center span.
The Coast Guard said the waterway restriction closes the river to all vessel traffic between mile marker 736 and mile marker 737. Earlier the Coast Guard reported 16 vessels with a total of 229 barges in the queue, which increased to currently 24 vessels with a total of 346 barges by late Wednesday afternoon.
A crack in a steel beam, found the Tuesday, has forced the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge that connects Arkansas and Tennessee in Memphis.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Repairs to the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee could take months after a crack was found in the span, forcing thousands of trucks and cars to detour and shutting down shipping on a section of the Mississippi River, a transportation official said Wednesday.
A congressional Democrat from Tennessee flagged the crack as a warning sign of the urgent need to act on fixes to the nation’s infrastructure.
The six-lane bridge into Memphis was shut down Tuesday afternoon after inspectors found a “significant fracture” in one of two 900-foot (274-meter) horizontal steel beams that are crucial for the bridge’s integrity, said Lorie Tudor, director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
I-40 bridge closed indefinitely after crack discovered in structure
River traffic shut down until further notice
I-40 bridge over Mississippi River closed in both directions after crack discovered By WMC Action News 5 Staff | May 11, 2021 at 2:54 PM CDT - Updated May 14 at 12:19 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The I-40 Hernando DeSoto “M” bridge over the Mississippi River is closed indefinitely, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, after crews discovered a crack in the structure during a routine inspection.
TDOT says the crack is on the bottom side of the bridge truss and the bridge will be shut down indefinitely. River traffic is shut down until further notice.
By DJ Taylor
Road Closed Sign
The Arkansas Department of Transportation said in a tweet that during a routine bridge inspection, ARDOT found a crack in the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge that requires further investigation, and that that bridge is closed to all traffic until further notice.
ARDOT is currently working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to make sure the bridge is safe for motorists before it is reopened to any traffic.
Arkansas I-40 eastbound traffic should take I-55 (Exit 5) to cross the Mississippi into Memphis, and Tennessee I-40 westbound traffic should use Exit 4 to cross into Arkansas.