In light of the crack found in the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River, one that resulted in the bridge’s shutdown and the subsequent firing of a bridge inspector, the state of Arkansas has launched a review of major bridges previously under the purview of the former employee.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation said three of the nine bridges in question are in Fort Smith next to the Oklahoma state line. Others are in Des Arc, Eureka Springs, Helena-West Helena, Little Rock and Newport reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The identity of the fired worker was released on Friday. Monty Frazier, who drew a salary of $75,000 was fired after the DOT found he allegedly missed the Interstate 40 bridge crack in 2019 and again last year.
“Frazier told his superiors that it was unsafe to conduct an up-close inspection underneath the bridge, [but his superiors said] ‘standard practice’ is for the inspection crew to get close enough, via safe suspension from the bridge itself, to check for cracks like the one in question,” reported the newspaper.
Other reports revealed a kayaker had unknowingly taken pictures of the cracked beam on the bridge as far back as 2016 and upon learning of the discovery of the major crack revealed the pictures this past week.
It remains unclear how long repairs will take and the extent of the time the bridge will be closed to traffic.
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette