What Really Happened at the Hernando de Soto Bridge?

In May of 2021, inspectors on the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge near Memphis, Tennessee discovered a major crack in a structural member. They immediately contacted emergency managers to shut down this key crossing to vehicle traffic above and maritime traffic below. This video provides a summary of the event, including a discussion on arch bridges, fatigue in steel members, and national bridge inspection standards. Errata: (1) 8:38 "at minimum, an arm's length away" should be "at maximum, an arm's length away" (2) 1:14 New Madrid is usually pronounced MA-drid, not ma-DRID. (3) 4:55 ”It’s hard to understate the severity” should be “overstate” Watch this video and the entire Practical Engineering catalog ad-free on Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/practical-engine... Practical Engineering is a YouTube channel about infrastructure and the human-made world around us. Hosted, written, and produced by Grady Hillhouse. We have new videos posted regularly, so please subscribe for updates. If you enjoyed the video, hit that ‘like’ button, give us a comment, or watch another of our videos! CONNECT WITH ME ____________________________________ Website: http://practical.engineering Twitter:   / hillhousegrady   Instagram:   / practicalengineering   Reddit:   / practicalengineering   Facebook:   / practicalengineergrady​   Patreon:   / practicalengineering   SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES ____________________________________ Please email my agent at [email protected] DISCLAIMER ____________________________________ This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips are used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. SPECIAL THANKS ____________________________________ Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Videoblocks. Some imagery provided by ARDOT and TDOT via Twitter. Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License Source:    • Elexive - Tonic and Energy [Creative Commons]   Producer/Host: Grady Hillhouse Assistant Producer: Wesley Crump