I-40 bridge over Mississippi River to begin reopening
MEMPHIS — The Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that was closed after a crack was found in the span will begin reopening to traffic next week, transportation officials said Wednesday.
The Arkansas and Tennessee departments of transportation said the eastbound lanes of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge over the Mississippi River will reopen to limited traffic Monday morning. The span's westbound lanes are slated to reopen Aug. 6.
"We know having the bridge closed has been incredibly inconvenient," Tennessee Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright said in a statement. "We appreciate the public's patience while our team made the repairs and performed extensive inspections to ensure it's structurally sound for many years to come."
The I-40 bridge was shut down May 11 after inspectors found a crack in one of two 900-foot (275-meter) horizontal steel beams critical for the bridge's structural integrity. Road traffic had been diverted to the nearby Interstate 55 bridge during the I-40 bridge's repairs.
Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/national/story/2021/jul/29/i-40-bridge-over-mississippi-river-begin-reopening/881156/