I-40 bridge closed after pier sinks 4 inches
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (AP) — Officials shut down a major Mississippi River bridge Monday after a pier under a small approach span settled nearly 4 inches during the night in a construction zone.
The approach span for the Interstate 40 bridge was still supported by other piers, so the most motorists might have noticed would have been a slight dip, said Randy Ort, a spokesman for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. He said the 1.5-mile-long bridge will remain closed until sometime today.
River bridges have been under scrutiny across the country since the Aug. 1 collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis killed 13 people.