MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation said they do not know when the I-40 bridge will be open during a news conference in Memphis Wednesday.

According to state authorities, Arkansas hired a team to take a look at the bridge as part of routine inspections every two years. The team on the ground saw a fracture Tuesday and immediately called 911 to have the bridge shut down.

Also known as the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, the structure carries traffic on I-40 over the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas. It opened in 1973 and carried more than 37,000 vehicles a day in 2018. It was last inspected in 2019 and is inspected every two years, TDOT said.

Officials with TDOT said Wednesday they are in charge of maintenance and repairs, with the states of Arkansas and Tennessee splitting the costs for the repairs. Right now they are in the process of analyzing whether or not it will be safe for their crews to go back out on bridge, for barge traffic to travel underneath it, and whether or not it will even hold its own weight.

When asked about when the bridge could be back open, officials couldn’t provide an estimate, saying it all depends on what they find during that analysis.

Speaking to WREG-TV Wednesday, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said he spoke with state leaders and TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright for about 45 minutes Tuesday evening. He was under the impression it would take months rather than weeks to get the needed repairs.

In addition, river traffic is also shut down until further notice, according to TDOT. Barges are parked up and down the Mississippi River waiting for traffic to reopen. Authorities said they have been in contact with national authorities in regards to the stalled traffic.

In the meantime, Arkansas I-40 eastbound traffic should take Exit 5 to Interstate 55 to cross the Mississippi River into Memphis. Tennessee I-40 westbound traffic should take the I-55 Bridge across the Mississippi River to cross into Arkansas and then take Exit 4 to access I-40 westbound.