WM MPO makes third Mississippi River bridge a priority item

WM MPO makes third Mississippi River bridge a priority item

Project moves to the top of the list as study director says ‘ we believe it is needed’

news@theeveningtimes.com

While two Interstates bridge the Mississippi River at West Memphis there has always been talk of needing a third bridge in the area. The need for a third crossway picked up as discussions about closing the Memphis and Arkansas Bridge, carrying Interstate 55, emerged to accommodate plans to alter the Interstate and Crump Blvd.

interchange in Memphis.

That road work remained another year away according to West Memphis Metropolitan Study Director Eddie Brawley, but the idea of a new third bridge has been moved into a top priority category by a federal department.

“We do have on our local plans for a third bridge, but Memphis doesn’t show it,” said Brawley. “We believe it is needed.”

Brawley announced in a recent MPO Policy Meeting, the third bridge necessity moved onto a priority list.

“In December the U.S.

Treasury Department commissioned a transportation and water infrastructure analysis to demonstrate major economic significance in the United States,” said Brawley. “They came up with 40 projects that would provide major economic benefits to the nation as a whole. As I looked through it I anxiously wondered if our bridge project was on there.”

Sure enough, a third bridge in the mid-south not only made the list but held the top ranking for economic boon for the buck.

“They called it the Mississippi River Crossing and they looked at the costs and the economic benefits. The highest cost benefit ration in the study was ten. But then they rated eight projects over a ten, and our river crossing was one of these.”

Brawley hoped that interest from Arkansas congressional delegation would start the bridge concept moving from a ranking to a reality.

“If they want the most bang for the buck, here it is, the third bridge, here,” said Brawley. “Now we’ve got a major study done by one of the largest engineering firms in the world that bears that out.”

Brawley thought the information was timely.

“The bridge in the worst condition is the I-55 Bridge and service level ‘F’ now,” said Brawley. “That was our concern with all the fancy work they wanted to do work at the end of it now to handle many more vehicles, but the bridge itself can’t handle more.”

The local MPO plan had long ago recommended the third bridge to be to the south of the I-55 on the Memphis and Arkansas Bridge.

“They should have had this third bridge built and be talking about the fourth bridge by now,” said Brawley.

“But the reason we showed it should be to the south was because it would give the greatest relief on

the I-55 bridge.”

By John Rech