Cracked Mississippi River bridge reopens months after shutdown

A bridge that crosses the Mississippi River has reopened after undergoing three months of repairs due to a crack in the support beam, multiple news outlets reported.

Arkansas’s Department of Transportation shared that the Hernando de Soto Bridge reopened its eastbound lanes to traffic on Saturday and that the remaining westbound lanes were reopened on Monday. 

The bridge, which was constructed during the late 1960s and early 1970s, has been a pathway for 60,000 vehicles through the states of Tennessee and Arkansas. 

Tennessee Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright told The Washington Post in a statement that the officials understand the recent Interstate 40 bridge closure has been an inconvenience for people. 

“We know having the bridge closed has been incredibly inconvenient,” Bright said. “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 bridge was closed for three months after private contractors inspected a crack on one of the critical support beams for the bridge, prompting them to call 911, Fox Memphis affiliate reported.

This drew new concerns about the country’s decaying infrastructure, the Post noted.