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.
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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.