ARDOT discusses I-40 Mississippi River Bridge closure, future repairs

May 12, 2021

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The I-40 Hernando de Soto bridge remains shut down for emergency maintenance due to a crack.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation is holding a news conference at noon.

The bridge, which usually sees around 45,000 vehicles daily, was shut down Tuesday after an inspection crew from ARDOT found a crack on a steel beam.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will now analyze the structure of the bridge to determine if it is safe for inspections and repair.

TDOT will be in charge of the repairs while ARDOT will re-examine the bridge’s structures.

Two previous inspections of the bridge found it to be in “fair” condition.

While the bridge is closed, traffic will be diverted to the I-55 bridge, which will give it twice the daily traffic.

We will update the article with more information as it becomes available.