On May 11, 2021, a partial fracture was discovered on one of the two tie girders on the Hernando de Soto Bridge. This four lane, 900 foot main span bridge carries traffic across the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas. This finding required an immediate river and road closure. TRB hosted a webinar on Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern that shared the response to this event, which included a special inspection, analysis, development of analytical models, and repair plans. Presenters discussed the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) directives regarding the inspection and testing of butt welds fabricated from AASHTO M244 Grade 100 steel, more commonly known as “T-1” steel. Presenters also discussed recommendations for addressing the FHWA directive testing requirements.

This webinar was sponsored by the TRB Standing Technical Committee on Steel Bridges.

The slides are available. Please contact trbwebinar@nas.edu for a link to the recording. There may be a $90 fee.