MEMPHIS, Tennessee — The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing nearly $400 million to build a new Interstate 55 bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas over the Mississippi River, replacing the current 75-year-old bridge, officials said Friday.
In separate press releases, Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis said the Department of Transportation informed Congress Friday that it is investing more than $393 million in construction of the new bridge.
The existing I-55 bridge was built in 1949, but it remains a vital and heavily traveled thoroughfare, with thousands of cars and commercial vehicles traveling across it every day. The aging bridge is one of two that connect Memphis to Arkansas, along with the Interstate 40 bridge.
Officials have been pushing for a modernized I-55 bridge since 1945. the I-40 bridge was closed for weeks 2021 repair a crack in the structureThe new bridge will be built to modern seismic codes and is expected to handle about 64,000 vehicles per day by 2050, up from the current 48,000 vehicles, Lee’s office said.
The governor’s office said the Tennessee and Arkansas departments of transportation have each committed up to $250 million to the project.
“This unprecedented investment in Memphis marks the largest transportation investment in Tennessee history and will have a transformative impact on our infrastructure,” Lee said.
Cohen, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has discussed the project during committee hearings, most recently with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on June 28. Buttigieg was visiting Memphis when the I-40 bridge was closed.
Cohen said the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 helped fund the project.
“Transportation across America creates jobs and improves our economy – America’s River Crossing,” Cohen said.