I-40 bridge rescue operation ends; no one found under bridge

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: Memphis Police say they checked under the bridge with TDOT assistance, but were unable to locate anyone under the bridge. Rescue trucks are rolling out and the bridge will clear soon. Traffic is now flowing in both directions.

Earlier coverage is below.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. --- The Memphis Fire Department is on the Interstate 40 bridge Downtown, trying to rescue one person who is on a beam underneath the bridge deck.

Meanwhile, traffic on I-55, the other bridge to downtown Memphis, was slowed due to a separate fatal accident.

Memphis Police said they were notified by TDOT at 9:47 a.m. Wednesday that a person had gone over the edge of the I-40 bridge and was walking on a platform.

According to the Memphis Fire Department, officials are trying to reach the male, but they have not made contact with him yet. He is not in the water.

It is unknown why the person is under the bridge. He is not believed to be a worker with TDOT or ARDOT.

Currently, the I-40 eastbound lanes of the Hernando DeSoto bridge are closed. TDOT workers ask that drivers take I-55 as an alternate route.

Traffic was backed up to the I-40 and I-55 split in West Memphis by noon Wednesday.

The Hernando DeSoto Bridge, which takes I-40 over the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tenn., and West Memphis, Ark., carries nearly 40,000 vehicles a day. In 2021, the bridge was shut down for weeks after inspectors found a large crack in a metal beam.

In Arkansas, one person died in a separate car wreck on I-55 near Exit 1, blocking the other interstate access between Arkansas and Memphis. The wreck was reported at noon on Wednesday.

This is a developing story. WREG will provide updates as they become available.

from KARK https://ift.tt/4vTLUf2