WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and the City of West Memphis are working together to ease the flow of traffic across the Interstate 55 Mississippi River Bridge. The Hernando de Soto Bridge, which carries Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis and Memphis, is closed indefinitely while repairs are made to a structural fracture found in May.
The plan is to reduce merging points which is anticipated to reduce conflicts and improve traffic flow.
Weather permitting, the following significant traffic pattern changes will begin at 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, June 9 and continue until further notice. I-55 southbound will be reduced to a single outside lane just before the western I-40/I-55 Interchange.
- I-40 eastbound already narrows to a single lane at the I-40/I-55 interchange. The exit ramps at Seventh Street and Ingram Boulevard will be closed to I-40 traffic.
- I-40 traffic will continue in the inside lane and I-55 traffic will continue in the outside lane through Ingram Boulevard. The middle lane will be closed to separate eastbound traffic between the western and eastern I-40/I-55 interchanges.
- East of Ingram Boulevard, eastbound traffic will transition into two adjacent lanes.
- The I-40/I-55 on-ramp at Ingram Boulevard will be closed.
These traffic pattern changes were developed in collaboration with ARDOT, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the City of West Memphis.
Traffic will be controlled by traffic barrels and signage.
Check TheTrucker.com regularly for updates on the I-40 bridge repairs. In addition, TDOT has created a webpage to keep the public updated of the progress work on the bridge, and ARDOT has a similar webpage.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
