Here is the latest from highway officials on the reopening of the I-40 bridge at Memphis:

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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

 

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*Please note this schedule is barring any complications. We will publish another update on Friday, July 30.*

UPDATE: The Arkansas Highway Commission met this morning and got news of the reopening plans. They praised Director Lorie Tudor’s work. No mention was made of the reporting by the Daily Memphian and the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network about potentially systemic problems in Arkansas bridge inspection, with the I-40 calamity so far laid at the feet of one bridge inspector despite the existence of a failed girder for as many as seven years.

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