Editing Interstate 40 (section)

==History==
===Predecessors and planning===
[[File:Kingman-Beale Wagon Road Monument-1.jpg|thumb|A monument to [[Beale's Wagon Road]] in [[Kingman, Arizona]]]]
During the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial]] and [[Territorial evolution of the United States|westward expansion]] eras, a number of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] trails existed within the vicinity of what is now Interstate 40. In 1857, an expedition led by Edward Fitzgerald Beale was tasked with establishing a trade route along the [[35th parallel north]] from [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]], to [[Los Angeles]]. This route, which became known as [[Beale's Wagon Road]], was constructed by a team of about 100 men and 22 camels led by Lt. [[Edward Fitzgerald Beale]]. Completed in 1859, it is generally considered the first federal highway in the Southwestern United States.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bealeroad/ |title = Beale's Wagon Road From Arkansas to California |first = Kathy |last = Weiser-Alexander |date = 2021 |work = Legends of America |access-date = January 15, 2023 }}{{self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2023}}</ref> 

In the early 20th century, a number of [[auto trail]]s were established by private organizations to aid motorists in traveling between major cities. Among these was the [[National Old Trails Road]], which roughly followed the western part of present-day I-40 to Albuquerque, and the [[Lee Highway]], which followed much of the eastern portion of the route.<ref>{{cite map |author = Rand McNally |title = Auto Road Atlas |year = 1926 |url = http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/ |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |via = Broer Maps Online |access-date = April 15, 2012 |archive-date = April 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120427035609/http://www.broermapsonline.org/members/ |url-status = live }}</ref> When the state governments established the [[United States Numbered Highway System]] in 1926, two of these most important highways, [[U.S. Route 66|US&nbsp;66]] and [[U.S. Route 70|US&nbsp;70]] were established within the present-day I-40 corridor.<ref>{{cite web |last = Weingroff |first = Richard F. |title = From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/numbers.cfm |work = Highway History |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = December 9, 2021 |archive-date = September 1, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190901182531/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/numbers.cfm |url-status = live }}</ref> 

US&nbsp;66, which followed the route from its western terminus to Oklahoma City, became arguably the most famous highway in the United States and has been recognized multiple times in popular culture.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.nps.gov/articles/route-66-overview.htm |title = Route 66 Overview |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = June 27, 2022 |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = January 15, 2023 }}</ref> US&nbsp;70, which roughly follows the remainder of the Interstate, was also one of the most important highways for east−west travelers, and was considered part of the "Broadway of America" highway between California and [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title = Plan To Spend $8,000,000 On Route 1, Tennessee's Broadway of America |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69837346/plan-to-spend-8000000-on-route-1/ |page = 9 |work = Johnson City Chronicle |date = August 18, 1928 |access-date = February 10, 2021 |via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>

An east−west trans-continental freeway to serve the south-central United States was proposed in multiple plans throughout the 1930s and 1940s for what later became the [[Interstate Highway System]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Pfeiffer |first = David A. |date = Summer 2006 |title = Ike's Interstates at 50 |pages = 14–18 |url = https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/summer/interstates.html |magazine = [[Prologue (magazine)|Prologue]] |issn = 0033-1031 |access-date = April 11, 2022 |archive-date = March 2, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110302235254/http://archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/summer/interstates.html |url-status = live }}</ref> The general alignment for the highway that became I-40 was included in a plan released on August 2, 1947, by the Public Roads Administration of the now-defunct [[Federal Works Agency]].<ref>{{cite map |url = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_Highway_plan_August_2,_1947_big_text.jpg |title = National System of Interstate Highways |author = [[Public Roads Administration]] |scale = Scale not given |location = Washington, DC |publisher = Public Roads Administration |date = August 2, 1947 |access-date = September 4, 2010 |via = [[Wikimedia Commons]] }}</ref> The Interstate was officially authorized between Barstow and Greensboro by the [[Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956]], which created the Interstate Highway System. The numbering was subsequently approved by the [[American Association of State Highway Officials]] (AASHO) on August 14, 1957, along with most of the system.<ref name="AASHO57"/> 

In 1957, the California Department of Highways, the predecessor agency to the [[California Department of Transportation]] (Caltrans), proposed that the route be renumbered to [[Interstate 30|I-30]] instead because of the already existing [[U.S. Route 40 in California|US&nbsp;40]] in the state. This route was decommissioned in the state in 1964 as a part of a major revamping of California's overall highway numbering system.<ref name="cahighways">{{cite web |url = http://cahighways.org/033-040.html#040 |work = California Highways |title = Interstate 40 |access-date = November 27, 2011 }}{{self-published source|date=February 2017}}</ref> The California state government also submitted [[California State Route 58|State Route&nbsp;58]] (SR&nbsp;58) between [[Barstow, California|Barstow]] and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] for I-40 extension potential in 1956 and 1968, but both of these requests were rejected.<ref>{{cite web |last = Waller |first = Jeff |url = http://we.got.net/~mapman/streets/California/I40/I40.html |title = Interstate 40 Extension and Bakersfield Freeway Network |work = California Streets |access-date = February 18, 2006 |archive-date = April 26, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426050344/http://we.got.net/~mapman/streets/California/I40/I40.html |url-status = dead }}{{self-published source|date=February 2017}}</ref>

From 1963 to 1966, the US government considered a plan, part of [[Project Plowshare]], to use atomic bombs to excavate a path for I-40 through California. The project was canceled largely due to the cost of developing the explosives and due to the unavailability of a "clean bomb".<ref>{{cite news |first = Howard |last = Wilshire |title = Building a Radioactive Highway |publisher = Sierra Club |work = Desert Report |date = Spring 2001 |pages = 9, 14 |url = http://www.desertreport.org/media/DR_Spring2001.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326112853/http://www.desertreport.org/media/DR_Spring2001.pdf |archive-date = March 26, 2009 }}</ref>

===Construction===
The first sections of I-40 reused freeways that had been constructed prior to the Interstate Highway System or were under construction at the time of the authorization of the system. The first stretch in Tennessee reused a short freeway in Knoxville called the Magnolia Avenue Expressway, which was opened in two segments in 1952 and 1955. The first stretches in North Carolina were a short controlled-access sections of [[U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina|US 421]] in Winston-Salem, and from [[Kernersville, North Carolina|Kernersville]], constructed between 1955 and 1958. By 1957, most states had begun construction on the first sections of I-40. The stretch between Memphis and Nashville, completed on July 24, 1966, was the first major stretch of interstate highway completed in Tennessee.<ref>{{cite news |last = Veazey |first = Walter |date = July 25, 1966 |title = A Giant Of Progress Grows 195 Miles |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90332310/a-giant-of-progress-grows-195-miles/ |page = 1 |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = December 10, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref>

On June 30, 1972, the final stretch of I-40 entirely within Arkansas, located between [[Clarksville, Arkansas|Clarksville]] and [[Ozark, Arkansas|Ozark]] was opened;<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--not stated--> |date = June 30, 1972 |title = Last Stretch Of I-40 Opens To Traffic Today |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116562182/last-stretch-of-i-40-opens-to-traffic/ |page = 3 |work = Northwest Arkansas Times |location = Fayetteville, Arkansas |agency = Associated Press |access-date = January 15, 2023 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> the last section to open in the state was the [[Hernando de Soto Bridge]], which opened on August 2, 1973.<ref>{{cite news |date = August 3, 1973 |title = Bridge Gets 'Ho-Hum' Opening |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88386533/bridge-gets-ho-hum-opening/ |page = 1-1 |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = November 5, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Kofoed |first = Richard |date = August 5, 1973 |title = Span Rekindles Westward Ho |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88383916/span-rekindles-westward-ho/ |page = 2-2 |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = November 5, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> The last segment in California to be completed was a short stretch in Needles, opened on August 13, 1973.<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--not stated--> |date = August 16, 1973 |title = Traffic Flows Over I-40; Plan Formal Rites For Opening |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116564078/traffic-flows-over-i-40-plan-formal/ |page = 1 |work = Needles Desert Star |access-date = January 16, 2023 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author = <!--not stated--> |date = August 14, 1973 |title = Interstate 40 Open |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116564173/interstate-40-open/ |page = A11 |work = Hi-Desert Star |location = Yucca Valley, California |access-date = January 16, 2023 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> The last original planned stretch of the highway in Tennessee, located east of Knoxville, was partially opened on December 20, 1974,<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Yarbrough |first1 = Willard |title = All Interstates in ET Open; Dunn Dedicates New Sections |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91441849/all-interstates-in-et-open/ |access-date = December 30, 2021 |work = The Knoxville News-Sentinel |date = December 21, 1974 |pages = 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91441878/et-interstate-links-opened/ 14] }}</ref> and fully opened on September 12, 1975.<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title = I-40 Link Opening Near Knoxville |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56532090/i-40-link-opening-near-knoxville/ |page = 11 |work = The Tennessean |location = Nashville |agency = Associated Press |date = September 11, 1975 |issn = 1053-6590 |access-date = April 18, 2019 }}</ref> The last section of I-40 in Oklahoma, a {{convert|17|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch near [[Erick, Oklahoma|Erick]] near the western end of the state, opened on June 2, 1975.<ref>{{cite news |author = <!--not stated--> |date = June 1, 1975 |title = I-40 Unbroken in Oklahoma; Ceremony to Open Last Stretch Near Erick Monday |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116560360/i-40-unbroken-in-oklahoma/ |at = §1, p. 5 |work = The Sunday Oklahoman |location = Oklahoma City |access-date = January 15, 2023 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author = <!--not stated--> |date = 2011 |title = Moments In History: June |url = https://www.odot.org/odot100/moments/06-june.php |publisher = Oklahoma Department of Transportation |access-date = January 15, 2023 }}</ref>

In 1971, the North Carolina State Highway Commission approved a plan to extend I-40 from [[Research Triangle Park]] to [[Interstate 95 in North Carolina|I-95]], a distance of {{convert|41|mi|km}}, at a cost of $75&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{inflation|US-GDP|75|1971|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP}}). Most of the highway would be four lanes, though six lanes were likely near [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], where I-40 would extend the [[Raleigh Beltline|Beltline]]. Several routes were being considered, but, at the time, the most likely route would have ended north of [[Smithfield, North Carolina|Smithfield]].<ref>{{cite news |title = SHC Approves I-40 Link in Wake County |work = [[Independent Tribune|Concord Tribune]] |agency = [[Associated Press]] |date = July 20, 1971 }}</ref> When the last portion of I-40, connecting Wilmington to Raleigh, was dedicated on June 29, 1990, CBS journalist [[Charles Kuralt]] stated:

{{cquote|Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.<ref>{{cite news |last = Wilson |first = Amy |url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0102_020104wir66_2.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050825095153/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0102_020104wir66_2.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = August 25, 2005 |title = U.S. Route 66: Historic Road Is Time Line of America |work = National Geographic News |date = January 18, 2002 |access-date = February 18, 2006 }}</ref><ref name=I40Facts>{{cite web |publisher = [[North Carolina Department of Transportation]] |url = http://www.ncdot.org//public/50thanniv/ncinterstates/download/factsI40.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080621040412/http://www.ncdot.org//public/50thanniv/ncinterstates/download/factsI40.pdf |title = I-40 Fact Sheet |date = June 21, 2008 |access-date = June 20, 2014 |archive-date = June 21, 2008 }}</ref>}}

===Controversies===
In [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], I-40 was originally planned to pass through the city's [[Overton Park]], a {{convert|342|acre|ha|adj=on}} public park. Following a public announcement of the routing, a group of community activists opposed to the routing founded an organization called [[Citizens to Preserve Overton Park]] in 1957, and collected 10,000 signatures in their support.<ref name=McNichol>{{cite book |last = McNichol |first = Dan |date = 2006 |title = The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=b0qO1yCFRxYC |location = New York |publisher = [[Sterling Publishing]] |pages = 159–161 |isbn = 9781402734687 |via = Google Books }}</ref> After Secretary of Transportation [[John Volpe]] authorized the state to solicit bids for the construction of the Interstate through the park in 1969, the organization filed a lawsuit, which culminated in the [[List of landmark court decisions in the United States|landmark]] [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] ruling of ''[[Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe]]'' in 1971, which ruled that the state highway department had not adequately explored alternative routes for the interstate.<ref>{{cite court |litigants = Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe |vol = 401 |reporter = U.S. |opinion = 402 |court = U.S. Supreme Court |year = 1971 |url = http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=401&page=402 |via = [[FindLaw]] }}</ref> This case is considered to have established the modern process of [[judicial review]] of infrastructural projects, and eventually resulted in the state rerouting the alignment of I-40 through the park onto a section of I-240 in 1981.<ref name="McNichol"/><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Cunningham |first1 = Morris |last2 = Brosnan |first2 = James W. |date = January 17, 1981 |title = I-40 Funds Diverted, Park Route Canceled |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88551737/i-40-funds-diverted-park-route-canceled/ |page = 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88551755/canceling-park-route-nets-city-i-40/ 3] |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = November 8, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref>

===Major projects===
Between May 1980 and March 1982, a major project was conducted on I-40 in Knoxville that widened the route, eliminated several interchanges, added frontage roads, and reconstructed the congestion-prone cloverleaf interchange with I-75, which had earned the nickname "Malfunction Junction", into a three-level stack interchange.<ref>{{cite news |title = Interstate Work Ahead of Schedule; 3 Contracts Signed |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91442063/interstate-work-ahead-of-schedule-3/ |access-date = December 30, 2021 |work = The Knoxville News-Sentinel |date = April 29, 1980 |page = 21 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author = <!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title = Junction Bottleneck Officially Broken |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89194354/junction-bottleneck-officially-broken/ |page = C-1 |work = The Knoxville News-Sentinel |date = March 31, 1982 |access-date = November 19, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> This was conducted as part of a larger $250 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|250000000|1982}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}) road improvement project in the Knoxville area in preparation for the [[1982 World's Fair]].<ref>{{cite book |type = Report |author1 = Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission |author2 = Barton-Aschman Associates |author3 = Knoxville International Energy Exposition |author4 = K-Trans |date = December 1982 |title = 1982 World's Fair Transportation System Evaluation |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FYwnAQAAMAAJ |publisher = Office of Planning Assistance, Urban Mass Transportation Administration |page = <!--Multiple--> |id = DOT-I-83-4 |access-date = June 6, 2020 |via = Google Books }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Hunt |first = Keel |author-link =  |date = 2018 |title = Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the Twenty-First Century and Could Save America |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=h7wpEAAAQBAJ |location = Nashville |publisher = Vanderbilt University Press |pages = 101–102, 117–129, 122 |isbn = 978-0-8265-2241-2 |via = Google Books }}</ref>

Originally, I-40 was constructed through downtown [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]], and it continued to follow that route until a new urban bypass route was built. After the bypass was completed around 1992, I-40 was relocated to the new freeway. The old highway was then redesignated as [[Interstate 40 Business (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)|Interstate&nbsp;40 Business]] (I-40 Bus.), establishing a business route that was actually an expressway for its entire length, a rarity among business routes. Following a reconstruction, the expressway was renamed [[Salem Parkway (North Carolina)|Salem Parkway]] and redesignated as part of [[U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina|US&nbsp;421]].

The "[[Big I]]" interchange in Albuquerque between I-40 and I-25 was reconstructed between 2000 and 2002 in a project that eliminated left-hand entrance ramps and added lanes. This project was given an honorable mention by the [[United States Department of Transportation]] and the FHWA for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/2002/cat1pic8.htm |title = Excellence in Highway Design - 2002 I-25/I-40 System-to-System Interchange, Albuquerque, New Mexico |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = November 27, 2011 }}</ref>

The [[Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway]] was relocated and replaced with a new wider alignment in two phases between May 2002 and October 2012. The old alignment was replaced with [[Oklahoma City Boulevard]], and at-grade thoroughfare.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.macokc.com/project/i-40-crosstown/ |title = I-40 Crosstown Realignment |publisher = MacArthur Associated Consultants |location = Oklahoma City |access-date = May 7, 2022 |quote = }}</ref>

In Memphis, the cancellation of the Overton Park stretch of I-240, along with increased traffic volumes and safety hazards, rendered both interchanges with I-240 unable to effectively handle unplanned traffic patterns, thus necessitating their reconstruction. This was accomplished in three phases between January 2001 and December 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last = Adams |first = Tracy |date = June 26, 2003 |title = Honk if you like I-40 relief |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90006239/honk-if-you-like-i-40-relief/ |page = A1 |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = January 30, 2022 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = TDOT sharpens listening skills |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93776122/tdot-sharpens-listening-skills/ |access-date = January 30, 2022 |work = The Commercial Appeal |date = October 17, 2003 |location = Memphis |page = B4 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://dementconstruction.com/i-40-i-240-interchange-phase-ii/ |title = I-40 / I-240 Interchange – Phase II |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = 2016 |publisher = Dement Construction Company |access-date = February 16, 2020 }}</ref><ref name=commercialappeal06>{{cite news |last = Charlier |first = Tom |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89563429/midtown-i-40-240-project-wraps-up/ |title = Midtown I-40/240 Project Wraps Up; Dangerous curves led to deaths of 8 in 1988 |date = December 10, 2006 |work = The Commercial Appeal |page = B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89563503/project/ B7] |location = Memphis |access-date = November 26, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref>

A $203.7 million two-phase project dubbed "SmartFix 40" resulted in a complete closure of a short stretch of I-40 through Knoxville between May 1, 2008, and June 12, 2009.<ref>{{cite press release |first = Travis |last = Brickey |title = Interstate 40 Reopens In Knoxville 18 days ahead of schedule |url = http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/2104 |date = June 12, 2009 |publisher = Tennessee Department of Transportation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090615075026/http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/2104 |archive-date = June 15, 2009 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> This was done in order to accelerate the construction timeline, and during this time, through traffic was required to use [[Interstate 640|I-640]].<ref>{{cite news |last = Jacobs |first = Don |date = April 13, 2008 |title = Downtown's 14-month I-40 shutdown will mean new routes, potential surprises |url = https://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/downtowns-14-month-i-40-shutdown-will-mean-new-routes-potential-surprises-ep-411801200-359923741.html/ |work = The Knoxville News-Sentinel |access-date = January 31, 2021 }}</ref> Both phases of the project won an America's Transportation Award from AASHTO in 2008 and 2010, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://americastransportationawards.org/2008-2/tn-smartfix40/ |title = TN: SmartFix40 |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = 2008 |publisher = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |access-date = January 31, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://americastransportationawards.org/past-projects/2010-2/tn-smartfix40-phase-2-knoxville-project/ |title = TN: SmartFIX40 Phase 2 Knoxville Project |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = 2010 |publisher = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |access-date = January 31, 2021 }}</ref>

===Geological difficulties===
Landslides are common in the Pigeon River Gorge section along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. Here, the roadway was cut into the slopes of several steep mountains. Accidents on the winding road are also common especially during bad weather. On October&nbsp;25, 2009, I-40 was closed at the North Carolina and Tennessee border due to a landslide at milemarker&nbsp;2.6 just east of the Tennessee state line. All traffic was detoured via I-26 and I-81, and non-heavy-load traffic via US&nbsp;25 and US&nbsp;70.<ref>{{cite news |first = Stephen |last = October 27, 2009 McLamb |url = http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/66605652.html |title = HWY 25-70 a scenic, tough rock slide detour |publisher = [[WVLT-TV]] |access-date = November 27, 2011 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100215020545/http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/66605652.html |archive-date = February 15, 2010 }}</ref> The roadway was reopened on April&nbsp;25, 2010, with some remaining limitations on westbound traffic.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/25/section-of-i-40-back-open-after-oct-slide/ |title = Section of I-40 closed since Oct. rockslide reopens |last = Hickman |first = Hayes |work = Knoxville News Sentinel |date = April 26, 2010 |access-date = April 26, 2010 }}</ref>

===Major incidents===
[[File:I40 Bridge disaster.jpg|thumb|The collapsed section of the I-40 bridge, May&nbsp;31, 2002]]
On December 23, 1988, a [[tank truck|tanker truck]] hauling liquefied propane [[Memphis tanker truck disaster|overturned on a ramp in the interchange between I-40 and I-240]] in the [[Midtown, Memphis|Midtown]] neighborhood of Memphis, rupturing a small hole in the front of the tank.<ref>{{cite news |last = Charlier |first = Tom |date = December 24, 1988 |title = Fiery tanker crash kills 6; Cars, homes enveloped by inferno along I-240 |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88843440/fiery-tanker-crash-kills-6/ |page = A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88843657/crash/ A5] |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = December 5, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Beifuss |first = John |date = December 24, 1988 |title = Even witnesses seem scorched by fire's havoc |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88843593/even-witnesses-seem-scorched-by-fires/ |page = A4 |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = December 5, 2021 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> The leaking gas ignited in a massive fireball, and the tank was propelled {{convert|125|yd|m}} from the crash site into a nearby duplex apartment.<ref>{{cite book |type = Report |first = Michael S. |last = Isner |date = February 6, 1990 |title = Fire Investigation Report: Propane Tank Truck Incident, Eight People Killed, Memphis, Tennessee, December 23, 1988 |url = https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Resources/Fire-Investigations/fimemphis.ashx |publisher = National Fire Protection Association |page =  |access-date = January 18, 2021 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210128223921/https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Resources/Fire-Investigations/fimemphis.ashx |archive-date = January 28, 2021 }}</ref> The incident killed six motorists and three occupants of nearby structures, and provided momentum for the eventual reconstruction of the interchange.<ref>{{cite news |date = December 25, 1988 |title = Death Toll at 9 in Memphis Tanker Explosion |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/25/us/death-toll-at-9-in-memphis-tanker-explosion.html |work = The New York Times |agency = Associated Press |access-date = January 12, 2021 }}</ref><ref name=commercialappeal06/>

The [[I-40 bridge disaster]] occurred on May&nbsp;26, 2002, when a barge collided with a bridge foundation member near [[Webbers Falls, Oklahoma]], causing a {{convert|580|ft|m|adj=on}} section of the I-40 bridge to plunge into the [[Arkansas River]]. Automobiles and semitrailers fell into the water, killing 14&nbsp;people.

On May&nbsp;11, 2021, the [[Hernando de Soto Bridge]] carrying I-40 over the Mississippi River was closed when inspectors discovered a crack on a tie girder.<ref>{{cite news |title = I-40 bridge closed indefinitely after crack discovered in structure |url = https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2021/05/11/emergency-roadwork-shutdowns-i-bridge/ |access-date = June 11, 2021 |publisher = [[WMC-TV]] |date = May 11, 2021 |location = Memphis }}</ref> A subsequent investigation revealed that the crack had existed since at least May 2019, and reports later surfaced that the crack had likely existed since August 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Chaney |first1 = Kim |title = Yes, there was damage to the I-40 Hernando de Soto bridge at the time of 2019 inspection |url = https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/verify/yes-there-was-damage-to-the-i-40-hernando-de-soto-bridge-at-the-time-of-2019-inspection/522-16447073-9d21-4c42-aeaa-65f4160cab9c |access-date = June 11, 2021 |publisher = [[WATN-TV]] |date = May 14, 2021 |location = Memphis }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Peterson |first1 = Joyce |title = Photos show I-40 bridge damage in 2016 |url = https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2021/05/18/photos-show-i-bridge-damage/ |access-date = June 11, 2021 |publisher = WMC-TV |date = May 19, 2021 |location = Memphis }}</ref> An emergency contract to repair the beam was awarded six days after the closure,<ref>{{cite web |title = Interstate 40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge – Timeline |url = https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-4/i-40-hernando-desoto-bridge/timeline.html |publisher = Tennessee Department of Transportation |access-date = June 11, 2021 |date = May 17, 2021 |archive-date = June 11, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210611034647/https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-4/i-40-hernando-desoto-bridge/timeline.html |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Duncan |first1 = Ian |title = Repairs to cracked Mississippi River interstate bridge will stretch on for weeks |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/03/memphis-bridge-mississippi-river/ |access-date = June 11, 2021 |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = June 3, 2021 }}</ref> and the bridge reopened on July 31, 2021, to eastbound traffic,<ref>{{cite news |last = Finton |first = Lucas |title = The Hernando DeSoto Bridge reopens eastbound lanes, 2 days ahead of plans |date = August 1, 2021 |url = https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2021/07/30/eastbound-lanes-40-bridge-re-open-saturday/5436041001/ |work = The Commercial Appeal |location = Memphis |access-date = August 1, 2021 }}</ref> and to westbound traffic on August 2, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last = Burnside |first = Tina |title = A vital Memphis bridge shut down since May due to a structural crack has fully reopened |date = August 2, 2021 |url = https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/02/us/memphis-hernando-desoto-bridge-reopen/index.html |publisher = CNN |access-date = August 3, 2021 }}</ref>

The highway was badly damaged during [[Hurricane Helene]] in September 2024, with the road closed in multiple locations across western North Carolina due to landslides.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doty |first=Justin Berger and Kelly |date=2024-09-28 |title=Parts of I-40, I-26 to remain closed for days, according to NCDOT |url=https://wlos.com/news/local/parts-interstate-40-26-remain-closed-after-helene-storm-damage-flooding-mudslides-road-conditions-asheville-buncombe-haywood |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=WLOS |language=en}}</ref> The worst damage was seen near North Carolina's border with Tennessee, where a large portion of the highway was washed into the [[Pigeon River (Tennessee–North Carolina)|Pigeon River]] following a mudslide, resulting in it being indefinitely closed in both directions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wulfeck |first=Andrew |date=2024-09-27 |title=Interstate 40 partially collapses after catastrophic rains in North Carolina |url=https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/interstate-40-north-carolina-flooding-helene |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=FOX Weather |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kiehl |first=Allison |title=Interstate 40 collapses at the Tennessee-North Carolina border near the Gorge |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/weather/2024/09/28/interstate-40-collapse-tennessee-north-carolina-border-near-gorge/75427194007/ |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=Knoxville News Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> On November 5, it was announced that the highway could reopen as early as the beginning of 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kiehl |first1=Allison |title=When Will Interstate 40 Reopen at the Tennessee–North Carolina State Line? Maybe Early 2025 |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2024/11/05/i-40-tennessee-north-carolina-state-line-could-reopen-early-2025/76076691007/ |access-date=November 21, 2024 |work=Knoxville News Sentinel |date=November 5, 2024}}</ref>