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The Interstate-40 (I-40) Hernando de Soto Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River between Tennessee and Arkansas, has been shut down since May 11 when a crack was found in one of the bridge’s support beams.
The Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) has estimated the bridge closure is costing the trucking industry $2.4 million for each day the bridge is closed.
Using global positioning system data, ATA found the usual 8-minute drive across the bridge now averages 84 minutes.
ATA estimated the daily cost by tallying the extra transit time of 76 minutes at $1.20/minute for 26,500 trucks.
The I-40 bridge typically carries more than 40,000 vehicles daily over the Mississippi River.
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