© 2025 KUAF

NPR Affiliate since 1985

Donate

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

Federal funding for public radio has been eliminated. Click here to learn more and support KUAF.

Beyond the Ozarks

Arkansas Bridge Inspections Under Scrutiny

KUAF | By Jacqueline Froelich

Published June 14, 2021 at 12:02 PM CDT

A dangerous crack can be seen, lower right, along a 900-foot steel beam supporting the Interstate 40 Bridge above the Mississippi River.

After a dangerous crack was discovered in a steel beam beneath the I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge, connecting Arkansas and Tennessee, the Arkansas Department of Transportion is reinspecting other "fracture critical" bridges around the state. University of Arkansas civil engineer and associate professor Gary Prinz provides insight into the types of vehicular bridges we cross over daily, and how the national bridge inventory is managed for public safety.

Tags

Beyond the Ozarks Arkansas Bridges Arkansas Department of Transportation I-40 Bridge

Jacqueline Froelich

Jacqueline Froelich is an investigative reporter and news producer for Ozarks at Large.

See stories by Jacqueline Froelich

Related Content

Health & Healthcare

UAMS researchers study food insecurity through a cultural lens

Kyle Kellams

Two recent studies from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences concentrated on food insecurity in Arkansas. One asked residents experiencing food insecurity to document their lives through photographs and words, and the other focused on the availability of foods reflecting cultural preferences.
Arts & Culture

Arkansas native brings 'Treasure Island' back on stage for youth theater

Kyle Kellams

Rick Dildine, artistic director of the Tony-winning Children's Theatre Company and Wynne, Arkansas native, shares how his roots shaped his career and inspired a high-energy stage version of "Treasure Island" opening this fall.
Author Interviews

Tom Hapgood’s 'Lost Letters' explores costs of uncovering buried truths

Kyle Kellams

University of Arkansas professor Tom Hapgood discusses his debut novel, "Lost Letters," a story that explores identity, family secrets, and the emotional cost of uncovering hidden truths through DNA testing and historical discovery.