Little Rock, Arkansas–At a news conference in Little Rock this afternoon, the Arkansas Department of Transportation announced that an inspector with ARDOT inspected DeSoto Bridge over the Mississippi River in 2019, but missed the major crack that has shut down the bridge indefinitely.
The DeSoto Bridge provides a vital link between Tennessee and Arkansas.
Arkansas Transportation officials said at the news conference that the inspector has been fired.
The fracture in a support beam was revealed during a routine inspection last week and the bridge was closed. For several days, river traffic below the bridge also was halted but has since been reopened.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is in charge of the repairs. TDOT announced last week they are considering installing steel rods over the damaged area until that section of the bridge can be replaced.
ARDOT photo.