Republicans have called for a infrastructure plan with a smaller price tag than President Joe Biden's and with a narrower definition of public works. Democrats have said the shutdown highlights the urgent need for more infrastructure funding. The bridge remained closed as negotiations intensified between the White House and a group of Republican senators over a potential infrastructure package. “ARDOT is now investigating to see if that damage was noted in a September 2019 inspection report and, if so, what actions were taken," the agency said in a statement.
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The Arkansas Department of Transportation on Friday said an image captured by an inspector's drone video in May 2019 showed evidence of damage on the lower side of the bridge, the same area as the crack that was discovered this week.ĭOT spokesman Dave Parker said the damage was found by a consulting firm that was inspecting the bridge's cables that year.
Ryan Rhodes, captain of the Port of Memphis, said in a statement. “Based on information provided to us by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard has determined that transit under the I-40 bridge is safe for maritime traffic,” Coast Guard Capt.
River traffic under the six-lane bridge was shut down Tuesday 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.Įngineers wanted to ensure the bridge could stand on its own before reopening river traffic. The bridge itself will remain closed to vehicles indefinitely, with road traffic rerouted to Interstate 55 and the 71-year-old Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south. More than 60 tugboats hauling more than 1,000 barges were in line Friday to cross under the Hernando De Soto Bridge, the Coast Guard said.Įconomic development officials had been concerned that an extended closure of river traffic could hurt the region's economy and have ripple effects on the nation’s supply chain.