Travelers heading between Arkansas and Tennessee should plan for major delays this weekend as all lanes of the Interstate 55 Mississippi River Bridge will close for repair work.
According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the bridge will be closed beginning 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, through 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, for southbound traffic. Northbound lanes will remain closed until 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The closure will allow crews to repair the bridge’s finger joints — large metal connections that allow the bridge to expand and contract with temperature changes.
The shutdown will stretch from Exit 1 (Bridgeport Road) in Arkansas through Exit 12 (Crump Boulevard/Riverside Drive) in Tennessee. Prior to the full closure, I-55 will be reduced to one lane at Exit 4 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive/Highway 38).
Officials urge drivers to use the Interstate 40 bridge as an alternate route. Message boards and detour signs will be posted, and real-time updates are available at IDriveArkansas.com.
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