By GEORGE JARED/ TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS
Repairs to the fractured Interstate 40 bridge connecting West Memphis to Memphis are progressing rapidly and officials with the Arkansas Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Department of Transportation are confident the bridge will re-open by late July or early August.
ArDOT public information officer Dave Parker told Talk Business & Politics that phase one of the work is complete and repair crews are now in phase two of the project which includes inspections.
The initial fracture spot on a primary support beam has been repaired and there have been 500 “weld spots” performed by workers. Each spot had to be inspected and about 10 spots need additional work, Parker said.
Workers position outer and inner anchor weldments in place last month on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River as part of the ongoing repair.
CREDIT TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION