ARDOT, Tennessee DOT secure $393 million for new I-55 Mississippi River bridge

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Congressman Steve Cohen announced on Friday that the Tennessee and Arkansas Department of Transportation secured over $393 million for a new Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River.

The bridge will be known as “America’s River Crossing,” according to a press release from Cohen.

“I’m proud to have worked with the President, the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as the outstanding team in Memphis and the governor’s office in successfully getting this extremely large and necessary grant for the construction of the new bridge,” said Cohen. “As President Biden would say, ‘This is a big…deal!’ And it sure is: Probably the biggest investment made in Memphis by the federal government ever.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced in May of this year that they were studying plans for a new bridge to replace the current 75-year-old bridge that connects Memphis and Arkansas.

TDOT said they had applied for a large bridge grant with the Federal Highway Administration around that time and had been waiting for approval.

“This historic investment in Memphis will help further connect our community with the region and the world. Memphis’ prominence as a logistics hub is made stronger by the investment in this key piece of infrastructure and we are honored by the grant,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young.

The current I-55 bridge began undergoing construction because according to TDOT, it was “not designed for modern interstate standards.”

Cohen also mentioned that “it is believed [the bridge] would be vulnerable to serious damage in an earthquake and is far out of date.”

The current bridge was built in 1949 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

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