FORT SMITH (KFSM) — A section of Interstate 540 closed due to high water has reopened, including the Interstate 540 bridge over the flooded Arkansas River.
The bridge was closed about 10 p.m. Monday (May 27) because of flood waters along the road. That closure, along with the Midland Avenue Bridge about the same time and the Garrison Avenue Bridge the day before, funneled traffic averaging 100,000 vehicles combined daily to the Highway 59 Bridge in Barling, a two-lane bridge that normally averages about 8,000 cars daily.
The result was major traffic headaches and congestion Tuesday along Highway 59 that kept traffic backed up for hours.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation announced about 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday (May 28) that the bridge was reopening.
