Editing Interstate 40 (section)

===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>