One cracked bridge. One person fired. A troubling rush to judgment raises major questions about bridge inspections

Officials blamed one man for failing to discover a crack in the DeSoto Bridge. But in exclusive interviews and emails, a complex picture emerges: of a systematic failure bigger than one employee

<strong>Monty Frazier (left), a heavy bridge inspector with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, is the only person who has been fired for overlooking the crack that formed in the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.</strong> (Shelly Frazier, Daily Memphian file)

Monty Frazier (left), a heavy bridge inspector with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, is the only person who has been fired for overlooking the crack that formed in the Hernando DeSoto Bridge. (Shelly Frazier, Daily Memphian file)

Matt Stroud
By , Daily Memphian Updated: July 22, 2021 11:46 AM CT | Published: July 21, 2021 4:00 AM CT Investigation

More than two months have passed since Monty Frazier’s firing from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, and he’s kept quiet. But now, he’s ready to talk.

Topics

ARDOT 2021 bridge closing I-40 Infrastructure Hernando DeSoto Bridge
Matt Stroud

Matt Stroud

Matt Stroud, a former correspondent for Bloomberg News and The Associated Press, is an investigative reporter with The Daily Memphian. He is the author of “Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High-Tech Policing,” and the creator of the six-part podcast, “Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment.”


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