By DANIEL BREEN
The Arkansas Department of Transportation has fired a bridge inspector who failed to notice damage on at least two separate occasions on a now-closed bridge over the Mississippi River.
Department officials said they terminated the inspector Monday over his failure to notice damage to the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge during inspections one year apart, in Sept. of 2019 and 2020. This comes after the department identified a contractor's drone footage dating back to May 2019 showing significant damage.
ARDOT director Lorie Tudor says the department has contacted the FBI to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
ARDOT Chief Engineer Rex Vines stands next to an image captured by a drone showing damage to the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge in 2019.
CREDIT DANIEL BREEN / KUAR NEWS