The first phase of repairs for the Hernando DeSoto Bridge are complete, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) officials announced Tuesday.
The agency said Kiewit Infrastructure Group, the contractor hired for the bridge repair project, “worked 24-hour shifts installing fabricated steel plates on each side of the fractured member to secure the bridge for permanent repairs.”
“Phase one is complete!” TDOT exclaimed in a Tuesday news update.
Kiewit will now begin cleaning the worksite and extending the platform. In phase two, the damaged piece of the bridge will be removed and replaced. This phase must be complete before the bridge can reopen to traffic.
TDOT officials said the restriping project at the I-55 and Crump interchange “is working” to improve traffic flow there. Traffic data show a 40 percent reduction in travel time from Monday, May 17th to Monday, May 24th; a 47-minute delay was reduced to 27 minutes, TDOT said.
