Arkansas, Tennessee secure federal grant toward new bridge

U.S. Department of Transportation putting up $393 million to help fund I-55 project

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing nearly $400 million to build a new Interstate 55 bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas across the Mississippi River, replacing the existing 75-year-old span, officials said Friday.

In separate news releases, Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Democratic U.S.

Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis said the Transportation Department informed Congress on Friday that it is investing more than $393 million to build the new bridge.

The existing I-55 bridge was built in 1949 but it remains a vital and heavily traveled artery, with thousands of cars and commercial vehicles crossing it each day. The aging bridge is one of two that connects Memphis with Arkansas, along with the Interstate 40 bridge.

'Arkansas is where America's road, river, and rail infrastructure meet,' Arkansas Gov.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. '[This] is the largest shared infrastructure project in our two states' history… will help cement Arkansas' status as a transportation and logistics leader while bringing more visitors to our state. I'm thankful to Governor Bill Lee and the other state and local leaders who got it done.'

Officials have been pushing for a modernized I-55 bridge since the I-40 bridge was closed for weeks in 2021 to repair a crack in the structure. The new bridge will be built to modern seismic codes and is projected to accommodate approximately 64,000 vehicles daily, significantly higher than the current 48,000 vehicles, by 2050, Lee's office said.

'I'm proud of the collaboration between Arkansas, Tennesee, and other regional stakeholders to help secure this important infrastructure funding for our region,' ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor said. 'Thank you to the USDOT for recognizing the significance of this project and choosing to invest in this critical link between Arkansas and Tennessee. I'd like to give a special thanks to Arkansas' Congressional Delegation for their support and advocacy of this project.'

The Tennessee governor’s office said the transportation departments in Tennessee and Arkansas have each committed up to $250 million to the project.

“This unprecedented investment in Memphis marks the single-largest transportation investment in Tennessee state history and will be transformative for our infrastructure,” Lee said.

Cohen, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has discussed the project in committee hearings, most recently with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on June 28.

Buttigieg visited Memphis when the I-40 bridge was shut down.

Cohen said the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 helped provide the funds for the project.

“Transportation across America creates jobs and improves

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Photo courtesy of TDOT BRIDGE

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our economy — America’s River Crossing,” Cohen said.

Environmental studies are currently underway and public hearings are slated for August.

While the design for the new bridge is still likely to go through a series of edits along the project timeline, back in May, TDOT released renderings showing at least one viable design option.

The proposed bridge would span about one and a half miles.

TDOT presented several options for how many towers and spans the proposed bridge might have, but the options shown in a video (viewable on the TDOT web site) have a similar, modern design compared to the old steel bridges that now cross between Tennessee and Arkansas.

The current Memphis-Arkansas bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

TDOT says it was not designed for modern interstate standards and has narrow, 11foot lanes with almost no shoulder.

“The current condition of the bridge, the I-55 is really questionable. It’s not wide enough to provide any kind of emergency lanes on either side. So, it’s not as safe as it should be,” said John Dudas, Greater Memphis Chamber Transporation Committee Chairman.

The new bridge would have four 12-foot lanes with wide shoulders on each side.

“You drive these roads every day and that bridge, it’s not seismic or retrofitted,” Lawrence said. “The lanes are very narrow. So, this replacement would fix a lot of those problems.”

TDOT also says it would increase safety making it more earthquake resistant, bridge modernization would reduce maintenance costs, and improve route resiliency critical for freight rail and air cargo routes.

More information on the America’s River Crossing project can be found here.

A press event with the USDOT, TDOT, and ARDOT is scheduled for Thursday, July 18, in Memphis. Additional details ar expected at that time.