Mississippi River Bridge Closed in Memphis, Tenn.
Mississippi River Bridge Closed in Memphis, Tenn.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294775,00.html
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. "” The Mississippi River bridge between Arkansas and Memphis, Tenn., was closed Monday after a bridge pier in a construction zone settled overnight. Engineers were inspecting the span.
"We want to be proactive and take all the traffic off the bridge so that our inspectors can take a very thorough look at the structure before making any further decisions," said Paul Degges, the chief engineer of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Motorists were diverted to Interstate 55, which parallels I-40.
Under a Tennessee highway project that extends into Arkansas, workers are improving theI-40 bridge to make it safer in case of earthquakes. The New Madrid fault runs through the area.
"That is the area where they are doing the seismic retrofitting on the West Memphis side," said Glenn Bolick, a spokesman for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.