2:04 p.m.
The governors of Arkansas and Tennessee met Tuesday to underscore their states' commitment to re-open the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge at Memphis as quickly as possible without compromising safety.
"Our No. 1 priority here is the safety of the people that travel across that bridge," Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said at a news conference. "The Tennesseans, the Arkansans, the Americans, the truckers, the commerce, everyone who goes across that bridge is dependent upon us to make certain that it is safe.
"The other priority we have is that commerce move: Down the river, up the river and across the bridges."
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined with Lee to praise the cooperation at the state, federal and local level to assure the traveling public that safety is paramount while the bridge is fixed.
"We will work to repair this in the shortest time possible, but we will not compromise the safety of the workers or the safety of the citizens who cross that bridge for the sake of finishing early," Hutchinson said.
The news conference came one week after an inspection of the nearly 50-year-old crossing uncovered a fracture in a 900-foot-long steel beam on one of the spans, triggering an emergency closure of the bridge, which is part of a major freight corridor through the center of the United States.
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Noon
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee are scheduled to meet in Memphis at 12:45 p.m. to discuss the status of the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge.
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