JULY/AUGUST 2017 A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Bella Vista Bypass FUTURE INTERSTATE 49 COMES ONE STEP CLOSER TO COMPLETION MOBILE CONCRETE New Name, VIRTUAL WEIGH LABORATORY New Identity: STATIONS Keep an Eye Comes to Arkansas ARDOT on Commercial Vehicles DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY FRONT COVER AND BACK COVER: Bella Vista Bypass COMMISSION State Highway 549 One Family, One Mission, Benton County One Department PUBLISHER DICK TRAMMEL Danny Straessle Chairman N THE MORNING OF TUESDAY, JUNE 27TH, A TRAGIC
[email protected] ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN JONESBORO. A commercial vehicle traveling eastbound on I-555 ran off the road and EDITOR Oimpacted multiple columns supporting the Highway 1B overpass. All David Nilles four columns were impacted. Three of the 10 beams had no support
[email protected] underneath and began to sag under the weight of the bridge deck. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Paula Cigainero
[email protected] The first report was that the overpass was in danger of collapse. I-555, carrying over 33,000 vehicles per day, and Highway 1B, carrying over 10,000 vehicles per day, were closed to traffic. THOMAS B. SCHUECK PHOTOGRAPHER Vice Chairman Our bridge inspectors were on-site quickly, and determined that day that southbound traffic on I-555 under Heavy Bridge Maintenance crews were on the way with timbers to begin shoring up the bridge deck. Early reports Rusty Hubbard the bridge could resume. Northbound I-555 traffic was still to be detoured, and Highway 1B was still closed.
[email protected] Our staff from Heavy Bridge Maintenance and District 10 began working around the clock.