FAST FACTS:
( Dyersburg, TN 1/17/2010) Barge inspectors suited up and shipped out on the Mighty Mississippi.
Their mission, to check for damage to the Interstate 155 bridge connecting Tennessee to Missouri.
The barge was headed southbound on the river, around 5 p.m. when it slammed into the bridge. Authorities shut the bridge down during rush hour traffic. "Traffic backed up quite a bit," explained Pemiscot County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Hudgens.
The bridge remained closed for about four hours as state and private agencies took to the water to inspect the barges and bridge for damage.
We're told 15 barges popped loose. One was damaged and nearly sank.
As for the bridge, there is no damage. Authorities opened it back up to travelers around 9 p.m.
The closure forced Caruthersville Schools' Superintendent to make alternate arrangements for fifteen of her teachers who live across the bridge in Dyersburg, Tennessee. She says substitute teachers were being called in to fill the void, if needed.
The closure also inconvenienced several employees who worked at steel companies in Blytheville, Arkansas. We're told some of them were forced to get hotel rooms because they couldn't get across the bridge back home to Dyersburg.
- Interstate 155 was shutdown for hours
- Barge hit the bridge
- Created a traffic nightmare
( Dyersburg, TN 1/17/2010) Barge inspectors suited up and shipped out on the Mighty Mississippi.
Their mission, to check for damage to the Interstate 155 bridge connecting Tennessee to Missouri.
The barge was headed southbound on the river, around 5 p.m. when it slammed into the bridge. Authorities shut the bridge down during rush hour traffic. "Traffic backed up quite a bit," explained Pemiscot County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Hudgens.
The bridge remained closed for about four hours as state and private agencies took to the water to inspect the barges and bridge for damage.
We're told 15 barges popped loose. One was damaged and nearly sank.
As for the bridge, there is no damage. Authorities opened it back up to travelers around 9 p.m.
The closure forced Caruthersville Schools' Superintendent to make alternate arrangements for fifteen of her teachers who live across the bridge in Dyersburg, Tennessee. She says substitute teachers were being called in to fill the void, if needed.
The closure also inconvenienced several employees who worked at steel companies in Blytheville, Arkansas. We're told some of them were forced to get hotel rooms because they couldn't get across the bridge back home to Dyersburg.
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