Baltimore bridge tragedy renews call for 3rd Memphis span
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Six people are still missing after a container ship hit the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse.
Bystander video shows moment ship hits Baltimore bridge
That collapse is raising concerns about the strength of our two bridges in Memphis, which see constant barge traffic pass underneath as tens of thousands of vehicles pass overhead.
Officials with the Arkansas Department of Transportation said Tuesday the cargo vessel involved in the Baltimore incident is much larger than the barges we would see in our area. There are also other safety measures in place.
Arkansas town concerned about bridge after Baltimore collapse
About 60,000 people a day traveled across the Interstate 55 bridge in Memphis, and 65,000 used the I-40 bridge in 2023, the Tennessee Department of Transportation says.
Dave Parker, public information officer with ARDOT, said the Interstate 40 bridge in in Memphis is built with very large concrete footings that reach far down into the deep Mississippi River.
“Along with that, it has protective devices that reach around the base of the bridge, steel casings that are filled with rocks, and other measures that provide basically fenders if something were to strike the base of that I-40 bridge,” Parker said.
Tennessee State Representative Joe Towns Jr. says seeing the tragedy in Baltimore calls for a renewed discussion of adding a third bridge linking Memphis to Arkansas.
“We have to have contingency plans in the event that something happens to one,” Towns said.
TDOT releases 10-year plan for proposed I-55 bridge project
He acknowledged TDOT’s recent announcement to replace the I-55 bridge in the coming years, but still believes another addition is crucial.
“We gotta have a third bridge for our people,” Towns said. “When I say our people, I mean anybody that’s traveling the bridge, our citizens across the country. That’s a main thoroughfare connecting the west to the east.”
State leaders call on lawmakers to build third Memphis-area bridge
He says the state of Tennessee, the federal government and state of Arkansas could share the cost, believing infrastructure should be a bipartisan issue affecting the whole country.
“Nothing gets cheaper. Everything costs more, if you wait 10 years or 20 years, it’s going to cost just that much more. The time to do it is now,” Towns said.
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