MEMPHIS, TN – The Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright announced today the
I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge over the Mississippi River will reopen under limited traffic while
contractors finish the work.
Contractors will have completed all the phase three plating by Friday. They will begin to demobilize,
break down platforms, remove equipment and barriers starting with the eastbound direction. They will
do this one side at a time as it is the safest scenario for the workers.
Reopening Plan:
Monday, August 2 by 6:00 a.m. CST: All I-40 Eastbound Lanes Open
Friday, August 6 (Time TBA): All I-40 Westbound Lanes Open
The bridge remains an active work zone. TDOT asks motorists to pay attention to the interstate DMS,
portable message boards, and SmartWay for specific traffic information.
“We know having the bridge closed has been incredibly inconvenient,” said TDOT Commissioner Clay
Bright. “We appreciate the public’s patience while our team made the repairs and performed extensive
inspections to ensure it’s structurally sound for many years to come.”
The emergency bridge repair project was awarded to Kiewit Infrastructure Group. The selection was
based on qualifications, experience, and availability of personnel and equipment. Other partners
included FHWA, TDOT’s consultant Michael Baker, Inc. (MBI), and ArDOT’s consultant HNTB.
“Back in May, we speculated that it would be the end of July, first of August to work through all the
phases needed to reopen the bridge,” said Commissioner Bright. “We did not know then what all would
be involved, but what I do know is we have all been fortunate to have had a great team that personally
took on this project and worked tirelessly to safely reopen the bridge as soon as possible.”
TDOT shares responsibility for the bridge with the Arkansas Department of Transportation. ArDOT
handles the inspections, TDOT the repairs. On May 11 th, an ArDOT contractor discovered a crack in the
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