# I-40 Bridge (into Memphis) closed for emergency inspection \[update - bridge has been re-opened\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897 "2021-05-12T11:39:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/62 "2021-05-14T00:55:03Z")
> [@Crankyhillbilly](#): > > Just that a major shutdown occurs while they are pushing the bill makes me wander if they had problems and just decided to make a big deal out of them at this convenient time. Like they knew that the bridge was broke before, but just sat on the news til they could push an infrastructure bill? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/63 "2021-05-14T02:18:59Z")
You are speculating that engineers and others knew that the bridge support was broken but did not do anything about it, leaving the public in great danger for untold days, weeks or months and instead waiting until there was a moment where it would generate publicity for infrastructure works that are overwhelmingly supported by the public already? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/64 "2021-05-14T03:25:11Z")
I heard the engineer’s 911 call on the Rachel Maddow show this evening. That’s right - he called 911 to inform them that the bridge needed to be cleared, NOW, and river traffic needed to cease in case the bridge collapsed onto a boat. Wow. That’s hardcore. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/65 "2021-05-14T04:46:36Z")
I would have thought that the Arkansas Department of Transportation (who the bridge inspectors reported to) would have direct access to high level officials in the Arkansas Highway Patrol–and that the Patrol would have contacted the Memphis Police and others to coordinate the shutdown. If you called 911 to shut down the bridge, their first instinct would probably be that you were some nutcase. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/66 "2021-05-14T05:15:35Z")
The dispatcher may indeed have wondered that. Maybe the inspector wanted the fastest response, and felt that was the way to do it? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/67 "2021-05-14T05:22:43Z")
> [@Crankyhillbilly](#): > > Pic says construction in 1966 so unlikely the interstate standards were in place when it was designed. The 1st edition of _A Policy on Design Standards – Interstate System_ was released by AASHTO in 1956, just a few months after the interstate system itself was established, so it is pretty likely the bridge was designed in accordance with the standards. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/68 "2021-05-14T06:25:56Z")
> [@Crankyhillbilly](#): > > I’m guessing it will be a billion or two dollars gone because some inspector got a $100 bribe when they were building the thing. If you believe that a 60-year-old bridge wouldn’t be having serious structural problems unless “some inspector got a $100 bribe when they were building the thing”, then I think you may be somewhat naively over-optimistic about [how long the average bridge is expected to last](https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Bridges-Final.pdf). > [@](#): > > The average bridge in the U.S. is 43 years old. Most of the country’s bridges were designed for a lifespan of 50 years, so an increasing number of bridges will soon need major rehabilitation or retirement. […] > > The U.S. has 614,387 bridges, almost four in 10 of which are 50 years or older. 56,007 — 9.1% — of the nation’s bridges were structurally deficient in 2016, and on average there were 188 million trips across a structurally deficient bridge each day. While the number of bridges that are in such poor condition as to be considered structurally deficient is decreasing, the average age of America’s bridges keeps going up and many of the nation’s bridges are approaching the end of their design life. > [@Crankyhillbilly](#): > > Just that a major shutdown occurs while they are pushing the bill makes me wander if they had problems and just decided to make a big deal out of them at this convenient time. Nope, read the 2017 “Infrastructure Report Card” linked above. The US bridge system has been having problems for quite a while now because of the high average age of bridges and their consequent deterioration. That’s largely why there’s been all this fuss about the need for major infrastructure investment in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/69 "2021-05-14T10:22:13Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > If you called 911 to shut down the bridge, their first instinct would probably be that you were some nutcase. Perhaps, but they’d probably send at least a car to find out what’s happening out at the bridge, just in case it’s NOT a nutball. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/70 "2021-05-14T10:58:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > If you called 911 to shut down the bridge, their first instinct would probably be that you were some nutcase. Indeed, they seemed not to have any idea what the first call was even remotely _about_. The caller said “we had a critical find on the bridge and we need to get traffic off of it immediately” which isn’t useful information to a non-engineer. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/71 "2021-05-14T12:58:28Z")
ARDOT replaced a multilane Arch bridge over the Arkansas river in about 5 months. It’s the Broadway Bridge that connects LR and North Little Rock. The engineering contractor did a lot of pre-planning. Materials must have been purchased and prestaged. They tore down the old bridge in Oct 2016 and opened the new one March 2017. There’s so many outdated bridges to replace. Engineering construction would be a good career choice for a young person today. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/72 "2021-05-14T13:48:24Z")
I’d bet it was the contrast of seeing just how abysmal US roads were earlier in his US military career in 1919, when the Army created an expedition from Washington DC to San Francisco by road to see what the difficulties might be, and the excellent German Autobahn system scarcely 20 years later during WWII. While Eisenhower didn’t conceive of the plan, it sounds like he was a very willing advocate and ally. ---
**Author:** ![Crankyhillbilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Crankyhillbilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crankyhillbilly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/73 "2021-05-14T14:02:45Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > You are speculating that engineers and others knew that the bridge support was broken but did not do anything about it, leaving the public in great danger for untold days, weeks or months and instead waiting until there was a moment where it would generate publicity for infrastructure works that are overwhelmingly supported by the public already? Not for the bill but for their project specifically. They want to make sure it gets funded. 2 trillion sounds like a lot but when you see the price tag for these bridges it isn’t. One St Louis project had a price tag of 695 million. If you’ve ever lived anywhere they have been trying to pass a bond issue you understand how they bring out the scary pics and video to push it. ---
**Author:** ![Crankyhillbilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Crankyhillbilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crankyhillbilly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/74 "2021-05-14T14:09:26Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > If you believe that a 60-year-old bridge wouldn’t be having serious structural problems unless “some inspector got a $100 bribe when they were building the thing”, then I think you may be somewhat naively over-optimistic about [how long the average bridge is expected to last](https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Bridges-Final.pdf). This bridge opened in 1973 making it a youngster at 48. Bridges should last a 100+ years with just maintenance and deck replacement. There are wooden bridges that have lasted 100 years, umpteen million dollar steel bridges should at least last that long. The 250 million plus ones we are building now sure as hell better or my progeny should hang the people who built thems progeny. ---
**Author:** ![fstbk1968](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@fstbk1968](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fstbk1968)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/75 "2021-05-14T14:29:13Z")
The problem is, budgets get cut and proper maintenance isn’t being performed. And folks are shocked when a bridge doesn’t meet it’s design life… ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/76 "2021-05-14T14:29:36Z")
It depends on the breakdown voltage of the river. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/77 "2021-05-14T14:31:20Z")
Are you sure you want to advertise that you’re a person of interest? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/78 "2021-05-14T14:40:51Z")
> [@fstbk1968](#): > > The problem is, budgets get cut and proper maintenance isn’t being performed. And folks are shocked when a bridge doesn’t meet it’s design life… I’m sure that happens in all sorts of situations, from public infrastructure to private property. In this particular instance, what proper maintenance would have prevented this from happening? Or do we not know that yet, until we figure out what exactly did happen, and why? ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/79 "2021-05-14T14:44:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m not an engineer but it seems very unlikely the empty bridge poses any threat to river traffic. The vibration and weight has been eliminated. The load carried by the now-broken span has now been transferred to other elements of the bridge, possibly exceeding their design allowances. For example: > **[Silver Bridge](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge)** > > The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 which carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. Officially named the Point Pleasant Bridge, it was popularly known as the Silver Bridge for the color of its aluminum paint. > On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed amid heavy rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people, two of whom were never found. Investigation of the wreckage soon pointed t... The bridge is not safe to even stand there on its own without inspection for other damage and finite element analysis of the remaining structure. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/80 "2021-05-14T14:48:28Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > So there’s something duct tape _can’t_ do? Duct tape cannot fix ducts. You need foil-backed HVAC tape for that. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897/81 "2021-05-14T14:52:19Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > Duct tape cannot fix ducts. > > You need foil-backed HVAC tape for that… Alanis Morissette should have worked that into her song [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-40-bridge-into-memphis-closed-for-emergency-inspection-update-bridge-has-been-re-opened/941897.md?page=5)