Federal Highway Administration July 16, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) closed the I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge (I-40 Bridge) over the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee on May 11, 2021, for safety considerations when a mechanical fracture was discovered within the elements of a steel box beam. FHWA is providing notice that ARDOT and TDOT are continuing the temporary closure of the I-40 Bridge for an indefinite period of time. FHWA has approved a request by the Arkansas and the Tennessee Divisions of the FHWA for an emergency deletion of a segment of I-40 between the I-55 Split (Exit 279B) in West Memphis, Arkansas, and the I-240 Interchange (Exit 1E) in Memphis, Tennessee, from the National Network in accordance with applicable regulations due to the safety considerations discussed in this notice. FHWA is requesting comments from the public on the alternate routes selected by TDOT and ARDOT due to the closure.