The contractor repairing the Interstate 40 bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis is finishing the second phase of work and starting to repair "additional areas of concern" that an inspection uncovered after the crossing was closed May 11 when a significant fracture was discovered, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Friday.
"The contractor is finishing phase two and beginning their part of the third phase, repairing the additional areas of concern found in the inspection," the agency said in an update released Friday.
The first phase of the repairs was to shore up the bridge to safely support crews and equipment to make the repairs and inspections.
This weekend, the contractor is expected to continue the final bolting of the metal plates being used to repair the fractured bridge beam; remove and install miscellaneous pieces; prime and paint the Phase 2 work; and install access platforms for the Phase 3 work, the department update said.
The inspection that began after the bridge closed used ultrasonic testing on more than 500 weld connections and, as a result, identified the need for nine additional plates, according to the agency. The 800-page report continues to be reviewed, agency officials said.
The bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas also is a major commercial corridor. Traffic has been rerouted to the Interstate 55 bridge, 3 miles to the south.
The crack on the I-40 bridge, a tied-arch span, was found on a steel beam connecting cords to the arch. When the beam cracked, the load that was once carried by the beam shifted to other parts of the bridge.
The Tennessee Transportation Department oversees repairs of the I-40 bridge, while the Arkansas department is responsible for inspections. Kiewit Infrastructure Group of Omaha, Neb., was contracted for the repairs.
Work to repair the bridge has been going on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The fractured section of the I-40 bridge's tie girder was removed June 21.
The way the bridge is designed means the Arkansas Department of Transportation classifies it as "fracture critical," meaning parts of the bridge are "subject to tension whose failure would probably cause a portion of or the entire bridge to collapse." Fracture critical bridges require frequent inspections but aren't inherently unsafe.
The crack was discovered May 11, but a photo from 2019, confirmed by transportation officials to be authentic, shows the crack has been there potentially for years. Another photo appears to show a crack as far back as 2016, but the authenticity of that image remains under investigation.
The discovery led the Arkansas Department of Transportation to fire the inspection team leader for missing the crack during at least two previous inspections, which are conducted annually.
Traffic slowed to a crawl in and around the I-55 bridge in the weeks after the I-40 bridge closed. But traffic pattern changes and on- and off-ramp closures implemented on both sides of the river in early June have significantly decreased travel times in both directions.