Source: https://www.nwaonline.com/, May 27, 2021
By: Noel Oman

A bad weld is suspected as the cause of the significant fracture found in a 900-foot steel beam on the Interstate 40 bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis, according to a top Arkansas Department of Transportation official.

The suspicion prompted the agency to accept the recommendation of a University of Arkansas civil engineering professor to perform ultrasonic testing on other welds on all four 900-foot steel beams tied to the twin arches holding up the suspension portion of the Hernando De Soto Bridge when testing resumes next week. Read more.