Editor's Note: The video shown is from May 13, 2021.
Drone footage from May 2019 showed signs of damage on the Interstate 40 bridge that connects West Memphis to Memphis, Arkansas Department of Transportation public information officer Dave Parker told Talk Business & Politics. The bridge was later inspected in September 2019 and it’s not clear if the damage was noted or if any steps were taken to repair it at that time, he said.
“That’s what we are looking into right now … we don’t have that answer,” he said.
The bridge, one of the busiest commerce bridges in the U.S., remains closed as officials determine the best way to proceed with repairs. An engineer discovered a major break earlier this week in one of the primary support beams prompting the bridge’s immediate evacuation and closure.
Officials said if the damage had not been discovered it could have led to catastrophic failure of the bridge. All boat and barge traffic passing underneath the bridge had temporarily been halted while teams assessed the bridge’s safety while conducting repairs. The Associated Press reported Friday (May 14) that river traffic had been reopened.
To read more about this story please visit our content partner, Talk Business & Politics.