A recently discovered crack in the I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River underscores the widespread impact of emergency closures. Yep, infrastructure, strikes the supply chain again.
Shutdowns Are Costly
As reported by Construction Dive, a crack running through a steel support beam of the
I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River was discovered during a recent inspection, forcing the closure of the bridge as it’s safety is further assessed. Because the bridge is important in the movement of freight between the East Coast and Southwest and from the Midwest to the Gulf coast, its closure sets up yet more supply chain disruptions. The bridge carried over 35,000 vehicles a day—these are now re-routed to a bridge already carrying over 40,000 vehicles a day. Hmmm! Here’s how that’s going:
The Arkansas Trucking Association estimates a cost of $2.4 million daily to the trucking industry for each day the bridge is closed….But it was not just road traffic that was interrupted. The waterway that flows beneath the bridge is also an important freight artery that carries 470,323 short tons of freight every day, pulled on barges up and down the Mississippi. The waterway was closed for three days as the agencies determined if traveling under the bridge was safe for marine traffic. The closure created a backup of 62 tug boats carrying 1,058 barges. The most common commodities carried through this part of the river are soybeans, distillate fuel oil and corn.
With infrastructure plans and budgets bumping along the path, economic experts are optimistic that road and bridge construction will be heavily invested in over the next five years. That’s why builders across the country are gearing up now, with The Partnership Account® from Colonial Surety. Act now—and curtail the frustration at bid time. Colonial’s taken the pain out of getting, managing and monitoring the bid, performance and payment bonds you’ll need.
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