Bridge Inspector Fired for Missing Crack—Twice

In 2019 and 2020, the same inspector led teams checking the condition of a bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting Arkansas and Tennessee. Both times, the teams failed to notice a crack that has now shut down the bridge for repairs, the New York Times reports. There's no mystery, Arkansas transportation officials said. "He didn't see it," said Lorie Tudor, the department's director. "But the reason he didn't see it is because he wasn’t following proper protocol." His job was to check "every inch of the beam," Tudor said. A reexamination of drone video footage showed the beam was cracking in May 2019, before that year's inspection. On Monday, the inspector, who'd been on the job for 15 years, was fired. The results of the state's investigation have been forwarded to federal officials for possible criminal prosecution, per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The result could have been catastrophic. The bridge, which opened in 1973, carries as many as 60,000 vehicles a day, including long-haul trucks shuttling between Memphis and Dallas. There's no estimate yet on how long repairs will take. The bridge first has to be stabilized, using metal plates, so inspectors can work on it safely. The deck and substructure of the two 900-foot spans are inspected every year by the state, and a private contractor checks the upper parts of the bridge every two years. It was a private contractor who noticed the near-break in the beam and called 911, saying, "We need to get people off the bridge immediately!" Tennessee is responsible for maintenance of the Interstate 40 bridge, and Arkansas for inspections. (More bridge stories.)