A $450 million bridge building project in Little Rock has been halted by the Federal Highway Administration.
The agency wants engineers to explore other ways to ease congestion on the Interstate 30 corridor near the Arkansas River. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports it may take six to nine months for officials to decide whether to replace or rehabilitate and modify the existing bridge.
A previous inspection of the 50-year-old bridge led project engineers to project a new one would be more cost effective. But the Arkansas administrator for the Federal Highway Administration told them the conclusion was premature.
She requested the firm examine from more than just a structural standpoint. Engineers will assess the bridge from a range of impacts before the final decision is made.
