On the recordMay 13, 2021
In the beginning of this week because of the routine inspection by the Department of Transportation in Arkansas, it was discovered that the Hernando De Soto Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River between Memphis and Arkansas had a major crack in a structural beam. As a result, that bridge which carries 50,000 cars across it and much of America's commerce along I-40 is closed, and it may be closed for as much as months--not days or weeks, but months. Traffic is diverted to a 1949 bridge, the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge, which is currently serving the need, but it is difficult, and it is causing traffic problems in Memphis. Mr. Speaker, 700 barges are stopped on the Mississippi River--370 going south and 330 going north--which cannot go under the bridge for fear that the bridge could fall and not support its own weight and damage the barges. I am calling on the Department of Transportation to get involved, to lend its expertise, and to lend money and finances to get this bridge open. This is a national tragedy, and it shows why we need an infrastructure bill immediately. ____________________
