LITTLE ROCK (7-28) – Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) Director Lorie Tudor announced today the I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River will reopen under limited traffic while contractors finish the work.
Contractors will complete all of the phase three plating by Friday, July 30. They will begin to demobilize, break down platforms, and remove equipment and barriers starting with the eastbound direction. They will do this one side at a time to maintain the safest scenario for the workers.
Reopening Plan:
- Monday, August 2 by 6:00 a.m. CST: All I-40 Eastbound Lanes Open
- Friday, August 6 (Time TBA): All I-40 Westbound Lanes Open
*Please note this schedule is barring any complications. We will publish another update on Friday, July 30.*
The emergency bridge repair project was awarded to Kiewit Infrastructure Group by the Tennessee Department of Transportation as the lead agency. The selection was based on qualifications, experience, and availability of personnel and equipment. Other partners included Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), TDOT’s consultant Michael Baker, Inc. (MBI), and ARDOT’s consultant HNTB.
“Back in May, we speculated that it would be the end of July, first of August to work through all the phases needed to reopen the bridge,” said TDOT Commissioner Bright. “We did not know then what all would be involved, but what I do know is we have all been fortunate to have had a great team that personally took on this project and worked tirelessly to safely reopen the bridge as soon as possible.”
Director Lorie Tudor added, “The success we are celebrating today is a result of amazing collaboration and effort by the team that was formed immediately following the closure. We thank TDOT for their excellent leadership of the team in reopening the bridge in record time. We also thank the public for their patience.”
ARDOT shares responsibility for the bridge with the TDOT; ARDOT handles the inspections, TDOT the repairs. On May 11, an ARDOT consultant discovered a crack in the bottom side of the bridge truss during a routine inspection and immediately shut down the bridge.
The bridge remains an active work zone. We ask motorists to pay attention to the Interstate digital message signs, portable message boards, and IDriveArkansas for specific traffic information.
We have a webpage dedicated to the bridge repair: https://ardot.gov/divisions/public-information/40-ms-river-bridge/. Additional travel information can be found at IDriveArkansas.com or ARDOT.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter @IDriveArkansas for traffic and @myARDOT for everything else.
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Contact: Britni Dumas
NR 21-248
July 28, 2021