The Hernando de Soto Bridge, a crucial Interstate 40 bridge between Arkansas and Tennessee, was shut down indefinitely on May 11 following the discovery of a major crack in a steel support beam critical for the structure of the bridge. But now, an old drone inspection video has surfaced, showing damage in the same area as early as May 2019.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) officials were conducting only a “routine inspection” when they discovered what Director Lorie Tudor believes had the potential to become a “catastrophic event.”
While the possible disaster was avoided by shutting down traffic from both sides, a social media user soon pointed out that visible damage to the structure had already happened by July 2019.
And now, a drone video taken by an inspector in 2019 has provided further evidence that the crack, indeed, did not develop suddenly.
Commenting on the drone footage,…
