Friday, May 14, 2021

Today's Infrastructure News

Bridge Closed as Infrastructure Talks Continue | Progressive Farmer

A fractured interstate bridge over the country's largest river is maybe a good reminder that maybe we really do need to mend some bridges around the country, and fast.
The I-40 bridge fracture and shutdown between Arkansas and Tennessee should add fuel to the fire regarding real needs to invest in infrastructure. As DTN's Mary Kennedy highlighted, not only is a major interstate bridge closed, but it also has at least temporarily shutdown barge traffic on the Mississippi River until the Coast Guard and others can determine the safety of barges passing under the bridge.
For travelers between Tennessee and Arkansas, the 40,000 vehicles of traffic -- including 13,000 or so semi-trucks daily -- typically carried by the 48-year-old I-40 bridge are now diverted to a 1949 bridge on nearby I-55 to cross the Mississippi River. Department of Transportation officials in Arkansas and Tennessee indicated it could take months to completely inspect and repair the bridge.


Memphis' cracked I-40 bridge creates headache for traffic, shipping | NBC News
Repairs to the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee could take ... Republican U.S. senators also pointed out the need for infrastructure ...

'Significant' Crack Forces Bridge Connecting Arkansas and Tennessee to Close | NBC10 Boston
A congressional Democrat from Tennessee flagged the crack as a warning sign of the urgent need to act on fixes to the nation's infrastructure.

Biden administration points to I-40 bridge closure as it pushes infrastructure plan | Commercial Appeal
The crack discovered Tuesday that could keep the key river crossing closed for weeks, or longer, offered an opportunity for the Biden administration to keep pushing its infrastructure plan, locally and nationally. For Memphis, the fracture on the bridge highlighted the needs in a community economically dependent on its infrastructure.
In interviews and statements following the bridge shutdown, senior Democratic leaders advocated for Biden's American Jobs Plan — one of the bills that Emhoff and Walsh touted in Memphis last week.


Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy or opinion of TN Infrastructure Alliance, its staff or members.