Hernando de Soto Bridge Emergency Repair (Full Version)
On May 11, 2021, inspectors from Michael Baker were conducting a routine inspection of the upper portions of the Hernando de Soto Bridge, which carries Interstate 40 (I-40) across the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee, when they noticed a critical fracture in an area of the bridge below deck and outside of Michael Baker’s scope of work. With safety as the top priority, the inspectors contacted local authorities to shut down all traffic across and under the bridge. Working in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Arkansas Department of Transportation, as well as contractor Kiewit Corporation, Michael Baker designed a three-phase repair that resulted in the bridge reopening to traffic in just 83 days.
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