Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack

**jimfols** · May 13, 2021, 09:16 AM

The Hernando de Soto Bridge on Interstate 40 was shut down Tuesday for emergency repairs after transportation officials discovered the crack in the bridge during a routine inspection. On Wednesday, the US Coast Guard put a waterway restriction on the Mississippi River below, leaving at least 24 vessels with 346 barges waiting to travel in either direction, according to Lt. Mark Pipkin of Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River.

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-hernando-de-soto-bridge.jpg

**jimfols** · May 13, 2021, 05:41 PM

Here's a few more photos.

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-hernando-bridge-jpegrs.jpg

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-desoto-bridge-jpeg.jpg

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-desoto-jpeg.jpg

**jimfols** · May 15, 2021, 09:13 AM

Here's a couple more photos,

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-ardot.02.jpg

$Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-measuring-fracture.jpg$

**jimfols** · May 15, 2021, 06:14 PM

A twitter person took this photo in July 2019.

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-twitter.01.jpg

The bridge was inspected in Aug 2019.

The yellow truck is westbound.

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-twitter.02.jpg

**jimfols** · May 17, 2021, 06:14 PM

May 17 2021
The Arkansas DOT released this photo from drone footage taken in 2019 of the cracked beam on the Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis. The ARDOT leader of the inspection team has been fired for missing the crack during reviews of 2019 and 2020 inspection reports.
Source: Arkansas DOT

Hernando de Soto Bridge Crack-2019-drone-foto-jpeg.jpg

**metric_taper** · May 15, 2021, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by jimfols

Here's a couple more photos,

Click image for larger version.

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The right photo looks like it cracked on a weld. It's so straight (the 'crack'), and the edge looks like weld failure of insufficient penetration. Like they tried to weld it from the outside and inside, and hid it all with grinding it off then painting with primer at the fab shop.

**Moldyjim** · May 18, 2021, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by jimfols

Here's a few more photos.

Click image for larger version.

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Click image for larger version.

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Is that an inspection walkway on the other side?
Maybe the inspector should have taken a walk in addition to watching drone footage...
Just sayin,...

**Ralphxyz** · May 13, 2021, 07:25 PM

Wonder if they can/will realign the beam or just scab some plate over it?

Ralph

**jackhoying** · May 13, 2021, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by Ralphxyz

Wonder if they can/will realign the beam or just scab some plate over it?

Ralph

I was thinking the same thing. I would guess that the main focus now is if this beam failed in this manner, others may have the same fate in the future. They'll spend more time investigating that they will fixing it.

**wizard69** · May 13, 2021, 08:46 PM

Most likely a temporary repair, bridge restrictions and so forth until they can fabricate new beam and plates. I know locally they replaced entire beams just showing some stretch in the bolt / rivet holes. The problem is simply if something happened the patch would get a lot of criticism so we are likely to see everything replaced.