I-55 bridge closed for construction

Alex Coleman
·2 min read

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis to Arkansas Interstate 55 bridge shut down Sunday night and will remain closed for the next two weeks following construction on the Crump Boulevard interchange.

The construction will mean the following roads along with the bridge will be closed:

  • I-55 southbound at Bridgeport Road in Arkansas

  • I-55 northbound at South Parkway

  • I-55 southbound ramp will be closed

  • Crump Boulevard westbound will be closed

I-55 bridge at Memphis to close 2 weeks for construction

“They’re going to be doing some hydro demolition going back with some polymer concrete,” said Nichole Lawrence, with TDOT communications. “They got started off with a bang last night and they’ll just continue to work 24/7 until March 24 at 8 p.m. if not sooner.”

The main detour for drivers will be the Interstate 40 Bridge.

“Their (drivers) concerns shouldn’t weigh that heavily on them. We have a normal flow of traffic on I-40 going in both directions over the new bridge. We have been in this position before with I-55 upgrades,” said Robert Mabe, West Memphis Fire Division Chief of Training.

City leaders in West Memphis, Memphis, along with AR-DOT and T-DOT, have been meeting to keep traffic moving in case of emergencies.

“We have plans in place if there are medical patients on our side of the river that need to get to one of the specialty centers in Memphis, we have routes to travel over the old bridge as well,” Mabe said.

TDOT releases 10-year plan for proposed I-55 bridge project

Once the I-55 bridge reopens, it, along with the I-40 bridge, is expected to see an increase in traffic as tourists visit the area to watch the solar eclipse.

“Two weeks after this shutdown, we’re looking at the traffic for the great eclipse of 2024 which is also going to bring a lot of traffic over the I-40 and I-55 bridge,” Mabe said. “For this event as well as that and others, all of the key players on both sides of the bridge meet regularly and finalize contingency plans.”

“We just want people to plan ahead,” Lawrence said. “I-40 bridge is open.”

Back in 2021 when the I-40 bridge was found to have cracks and was shut down for weeks, many traveled to either Dyersburg or Helena-West Helena to cross the river while repairs were being made.

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