Since May 11, the Hernando De Soto Bridge has been closed after a crack was found in a support beam. Bill Dries, a reporter for the Daily Memphian, says the initial fracture has been fixed but upon further inspection, 17 more issues have been found. The eastbound span is set to reopen Monday, Aug. 2 and, if all goes according to plan, westbound traffic can return Monday.
Dries joins fellow Daily Memphian reporter Matt Stroud, The New Tri-State Defender's Karanja Ajanaku, and The Memphis Flyer's Toby Sells for this week’s WKNO-TV Behind the Headlines with host Eric Barnes. In addition to the bridge failures, guests talk about the uptick in COVID-19 and Delta variant cases, as well as the new proposal for Memphis and Shelby County consolidation.