The Ouachita River Bridge on Arkansas 51 leading into Arkadelphia is closed indefinitely after a vehicle struck part of the span Tuesday morning, leading to long detours for commuters and emergency workers in Clark County.
Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police, said a truck hit the bridge around 7 a.m., damaging several of the bridge's overhead beams.
A detour has been put in place affecting portions of U.S. 67, Arkansas 51, Arkansas 7 and Arkansas 128 and stretching from Arkadelphia through Midway and Donaldson, said Danny Straessle, spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department.
The bridge, a 56-year-old span that had just been inspected Monday, serves an estimated 3,100 vehicles daily. With the detour, some travelers who use the bridge to commute from Arkadelphia to Arkansas 7 west of the Ouachita River can expect up to an additional 31 miles of travel, Straessle said.
The vehicle that hit the bridge was a truck with an overhead attachment designed for hauling debris such as tree limbs, he said, adding that he thought the attachment was retracted enough to provide overhead clearance.
The bridge's structural elements will have to be braced temporarily until a permanent repair can be made, Straessle said.
Initially, Straessle said the bridge would be able to permit the crossing of emergency vehicles. But after an analysis by the Highway and Transportation Department's Bridge Division, officials determined all traffic should be kept off the bridge, which could pose problems for emergency vehicles within Clark County.
Another bridge is in the works downstream from the Arkansas 51 bridge, but it isn't scheduled for completion until next summer, Straessle said.
The area hadn't experienced much traffic by Tuesday afternoon because the Highway Department posted messages online advising drivers to find alternate routes, Straessle said. But people across the river from Arkadelphia will have difficulties getting around, he said.
Arkadelphia Mayor James Calhoun said the closure will affect a large number of people who travel to the city from west of the Ouachita River, citing concerns about its effect on businesses in the city.
"We have people who come from Sparkman and such to shop in Arkadelphia," he said. "People may have to go from Sparkman to Camden to go shopping, so it will affect our business."
Richard Shields, president of Shields Wood Products, said his would be one of the businesses affected. Located only a half mile from Arkadelphia across the bridge, those employed by Shields will now have to take the 31-mile detour to Arkadelphia until the bridge reopens.
"We do a lot of transports and typically have about 15 to 20 trucks per day coming in and out of here across that bridge," Shields said. "It will be a terrible burden for us logistically and financially, but we'll make do."
Of his 40 employees, Shields said all but about 10 live on the other side of the river, making the commute to work a challenge for most.
Shields said he also had concerns about the additional transportation costs for his business and others in the area.
"We won't miss any work over it, but it will add an undue cost," he said.
While there is progress being made to the downstream bridge, Shields said he hoped to see a fix for the existing span well in advance of the new bridge's opening.
"We absolutely can't wait on a new bridge -- that's too long," he said.
Calhoun said the bridge closure also could affect school districts and busing if the fixes couldn't be completed by the start of the next school year.
"I feel for those who live over [the bridge] and come to Arkadelphia to work and shop," he said. "It's going to be a very big inconvenience."
State Desk on 06/29/2016