New I-55 Tennessee-Arkansas bridge requires federal grant. What does it mean for taxpayers?
The Tennessee Department of Transportation's hope to rebuild the Interstate 55 bridge connecting Memphis to Arkansas currently hinges on being awarded a federal grant, a spokeswoman for the department said Tuesday.
The bridge is estimated to cost between "$800 million and $1 billion" to build, and would be built in the same location as the current "Old Bridge."
"It's such a vital corridor for the region and the country, that's here in Memphis — at the center of the United States," TDOT Community Relations Office Nichole Lawrence said of the I-55 river crossing. "So having that viable crossing in addition to the I-40 [bridge], it's just an important factor for moving freight and goods and motorists."
The federal grant, Lawrence said, would cover half of the project's ultimate cost. TDOT and the Arkansas Department of Transportation have committed to covering 25% of the cost, each.
TDOT has allocated $250 million for its part of the project. The funding is part of Gov. Bill Lee's Transportation Modernization Act which features $3.3 billion in funding that is to be spread throughout the state.
The department's grant report, which was submitted on Dec. 4, estimated the project to cost almost $788 million and requested close to $394 million from the federal government.
"We're still very early in the process, and still working on details of the bridge," Lawrence said. "The bridge is going to be located right [where the current one is]. It is a true replacement, not a new bridge. It will work in conjunction with the current [Crump] interchange improvements that we've been making that are estimated to be completed in the first half of 2025."
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Plans and models for the bridge have not been made yet, but Lawrence said the goal is to increase the capacity of the bridge, which she said the department hopes means expanded lanes, though all plans are up in the air until TDOT and ARDOT are further in the process.
Should the departments get the grant from the federal government, which they should know by early 2024, construction is expected to begin in 2026. The aggressive plan, according to Lawrence, is part of TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley's philosophy going forward.
"The commissioner said, 'What gets started, gets finished,'" she said. "When we budget something and put money in for something, it's for the entire project. In the past, we would put money in for right of way, or there would be the preliminary engineering stage. We would budget for stages of a project. Now, when the project goes in plan, it's in there from beginning to end."
Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Federal funds needed for new I-55 bridge between Tennessee, Arkansas
