Parts Of Overpass Falls On I-40

The bridge did not fall, but parts of it did. Bits of concrete fell from the Highway 13 overpass of Interstate 40 at Carlisle. Sate police temporarily diverted westbound traffic on the interstate and shut down the overpass when police realized the hole in the overpass bridge. The hole started small. That was around 4 p.m. when a trucker noticed the falling debris. It grew to the size of a basketball, on a bridge about 8 to 10 inches thick. Traffic was shut down long enough for crews to clean up the concrete, then reopened. They later closed one lane to allow crews to patch the hole. State police say the bridge already has plenty of patchwork on it and gets plenty of truck traffic. "All the little towns through here, Lonoke, Hazen, Carlisle, all have one off ramp. And all the truck traffic it uses in those particular towns, have one way off and one way on," explained ASP Corporal Chuck Lewis. "This bridge catches a lot of traffic." The Highway and Transportation Department says both the Highway 13 overpass and both lanes of interstate traffic should be open by midnight, Monday.