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| I-40 bridge at Memphis closed indefinitely due to 'crack' (Page 3/3) |
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maryjane
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MAY 18, 11:09 AM
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At least one Arkansas official has been fired over this. The inspection department chief/lead field inspector.. The arrangement between Tenn and Arkansas is that Arkansas will conduct all annual inspections and Tenn will do the physical maintenance, with both states paying the costs.
It has come to light, that the damaged beam was there in some form of failure as far back as 2019 and the inspector didn't notice it and since was only discovered this year by a 3rd party commercial inspection team, it means the Arkansas inspector also missed it in 2020.
An inspector with the Arkansas Department of Transportation who twice failed to identify a crack in a bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that prompted the bridge’s closure last week has been fired, the department announced on Monday.
Though officials did not name the inspector, Rex Vines, deputy director and chief engineer of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said at a news conference on Monday that “the same person was the team leader in both inspections” in 2019 and 2020.
“He didn’t see it,” Lorie Tudor, the department’s director, said at the news conference. “But the reason he didn’t see it is because he wasn’t following proper protocol.” The inspector was required to “literally go inch by inch along that beam and physically inspect every inch of the beam,” she said, adding, “That did not happen.”
The bridge deck and substructure are inspected every year by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Dave Parker, a spokesman for the department, said. Additionally, the department hires a private contractor every two years to inspect the upper portion of the bridge, including its cables and higher extensions, Mr. Parker said.
The problem was spotted on May 11 by a private contractor during an inspection of the bridge, which reaches from downtown Memphis into Arkansas, the agency said. That contractor noticed a critical beam was fractured to the point of being nearly severed and called 911: “We need to get people off the bridge immediately!”
The bridge, also known as the Hernando de Soto Bridge, remains shut.
Drone footage in 2019 showed evidence of the crack on the bridge, which goes over the Mississippi River, meaning it had twice gone unreported by the staff inspector, the agency said.
The 2019 drone footage begins about 55 seconds in:
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 05-18-2021).]
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sourmash
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MAY 18, 12:11 PM
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Bonus points to anyone who can produce a photo of the fired inspector.
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Jake_Dragon
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MAY 18, 01:38 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by sourmash:
Bonus points to anyone who can produce a photo of the fired inspector. |
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 [This message has been edited by Jake_Dragon (edited 05-18-2021).]
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sourmash
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MAY 18, 03:35 PM
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Bet he was at the casino instead of work.
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maryjane
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MAY 21, 08:34 PM
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Monty Frazier.
Basically, he opted for 'it wasn't safe" excuse when asked why he didn't use the bridge snooper device to look at the girder in question.
" "The crack was visible and would have been discovered if proper fracture critical inspection procedures were followed," says a termination memo written by Arkansas official Michael Hill.
The memo says Frazier had neglected his responsibilities to follow inspection procedures by positioning himself within an arm's length of the beam at the edge of the bridge, which is called a tie girder.
The memo says Frazier was also the under-bridge inspection unit operator.
The memo doesn't define the phrase "under-bridge inspection unit," but it appears to refer to a lift that allows inspectors to drop down over the side of a bridge and take a close look at the beams under the bridge surface.
One brand of this type of equipment is called a Snooper. ARDOT spokesman Dave Parker wasn't immediately able to confirm that the phrase "under-bridge unit" in the memo refers to a Snooper.
The termination memo says, "When Mr. Frazier was asked why he didn't move along the outside of the tie girder, he said that it was unsafe to run the under-bridge unit in that manner."
"This is not true," the memo continues. "Standard practice is to boom out along the tie girder, looking for cracks. Mr. Frazier had done this himself when another operated the under-bridge inspection unit. The unit also has safety features that keep one from moving into an unstable position."
"I recommend that Mr. Frazier be terminated from the position of statewide bridge inspector for dereliction of duty."
New private pictures have surfaced that strongly suggest the crack has been there as far back as 2016.
https://www.commercialappea...fracture/5168417001/
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blackrams
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MAY 21, 11:39 PM
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Yeah, that damn crack affected my motorcycle adventure in a significant way. Due to the "crack" on the bridge and Mother Nature's wicked sense of humor, I had to deviate from my planned track and then again, on my return it affected my trip. On my return trip, I deviated my intended route to Paducah, KY to avoid rain, didn't work. That's all I'm gonna say about that. But, on the way back to Southern Mississippi, I rolled through Memphis and stopped by the Bass Pro Shop now located in the former Pyramid, it's a colossal site to visit. I highly encourage anyone with the opportunity to stop by there. The restaurant at the top of the Pyramid is worth the cost. Regardless, you can look directly at that bridge and it's almost surreal, absolutely no traffic.
Oh yeah, 2249 miles on this trip, won't lie about it, my ass was dragging and I was glad to be home in Mississippi. 
Rams
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maryjane
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MAY 22, 09:45 AM
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Memphis pyramid was at one time, called the Tomb of Doom by Memphis b ball fans
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blackrams
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MAY 22, 10:29 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by maryjane:
Memphis pyramid was at one time, called the Tomb of Doom by Memphis b ball fans |
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Yep, I used to live just south of there and almost became a Memphis Tigers fan. Almost.
I worked at a facility about a mile or so from the "Elvis" mansion. Didn't matter what you wanted, the Church parking lot near our facility was where you could get it after dark. 
Rams
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sourmash
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MAY 22, 11:16 AM
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