Travelers planning to navigate the span of the Mississippi River via the Interstate 55 will need to seek alternative routes over the upcoming weekend. The Arkansas Department of Transportation has announced a full closure of the I-55 bridge, impacting all lanes, to facilitate repair work on critical bridge components. According to Action News 5, the bridge will be inaccessible starting from Saturday, Nov. 15, continuing through Sunday, Nov. 16.
In a statement obtained by FOX13 Memphis, repair teams will be focusing on the bridge's finger joints, which accommodate the natural thermal expansion and contraction that bridge spans experience. While the construction is underway, departing at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, the southbound lanes are expected to resume by 8 p.m. on Sunday. However, the northbound lanes will not be open to traffic until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18.
Anticipating increased travel times due to detours, ARDOT has positioned signage to help redirect the flow of vehicles. Commuters are encouraged to use the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge as a navigation bypass. KAIT8 reports the scheduled repair works will take place, weather permitting, starting from Exit 1, Bridgeport Road in Arkansas, and ending at Exit 12, Crump Boulevard/Riverside Drive in Tennessee.
Before the shutdown of the bridge, traffic patterns will also be adjusted. With the reduction to one lane at Exit 4, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Highway 38, drivers are expected to experience significant delays. Meanwhile, the northbound traffic will keep flowing to use the detour during such a timeframe until the reopening happens on Tuesday evening.
