Overpass OK after mishap

An inspector from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department was called to Blytheville Wednesday when a piece of heavy equipment broke loose from a tractor and struck the underside of an overpass on Interstate 55, said Walter McMillan, District 10 engineer for AHTD.

The two northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 61 were closed and traffic was routed through a turn lane for more than an hour before the equipment could be cleared from the scene.

Officers from both the Blytheville Police Department and the Mississippi County Sheriff's office were on hand to help detour traffic.

McMillan said a maintenance employee of the AHTD did a quick inspection after the incident and reported to the district office that there was no major damage to the structure of the overpass. However, department rules call for an inspection of the bridge by specially-trained bridge inspectors after an incident like this happens, McMillan said.

If the inspector agrees with the maintenance employee, the overpass will not need to be closed for repairs. McMillan said incidents of this type are "quite common this time of year."

The inspections after accident are done in addition to the regular, routine inspections, he said.

"We perform routine inspections of all bridges every two years," McMillan said. "As a bridge gets older, it tends to deteriorate faster, so we try to inspect those more often." Some bridges are inspected every six months or so, he said.

There are only three bridge inspection crews to cover all of District 10, which includes Clay, Craighead, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett and Randolph counties.

In addition to bridge inspections, the department has been working on the expansion of Arkansas Highway 18 between Dell and Big Lake. Plans call for the highway to be widened into four lanes all the way to Lake City, if funds are available.

An additional project will begin in the area as soon as the weather cooperates, McMillan said. Work to improve I-55 between its overpass at Arkansas 312, north to the highway's intersection with Arkansas 18.

Another project is slated to be bid this fall with a start date scheduled for late fall or early spring includes improvements and widening of Arkansas 18, or Ash Street, through downtown Blytheville. This project includes the construction of an overpass over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad in downtown.

The project will cause the relocation or closure of several businesses and homes, or at the least the relinquishment of rights of way, along the route. The project will affect a historic district of homes as well as numerous businesses in the downtown area.

dhilton@blythevillecourier.com