The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) advisory group concluded a study on the construction options for the Interstate 55 (I-55) interchange on the Arkansas border, determining a long-term full closure of the I-55 Bridge during of the project will not be pursued.
Since 2015, TDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began the development of a Limited Scope Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (LSSEIS) to study two construction phasing options for the I-55 interchange. The decision to develop the LSSEIS was based on the potential for significant impacts associated with the potential for a long-term full closure (up to 9 months) of the I-55 Bridge over the Mississippi River during construction.
Residents on the Arkansas-side of the bridge in Crittenden County had concerns that the closure would increase traffic congestion on the only other local route across the river and have a poor economic impact for cities on both sides of the river.
State Sen. Keith Ingram (D-West Memphis) started a petition to keep the older bridge open. The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce endorsed Ingram’s petition and encouraged its membership to sign it.
Four years later at the conclusion of these studies into their concerns, it looks like Ingram and his constituents will get to keep their bridge open.
