One problem that has crept up is the number of vehicle crashes on the highway, the mayor said. The plan is to reduce merging points, which is anticipated to reduce conflicts and improve traffic flow, according to ArDOT. eastbound traffic will transition into two adjacent lanes. The middle lane will be closed to separate eastbound traffic between the western and eastern I-40/I-55 Interchanges. I-40 traffic will continue in the inside lane and I-55 traffic will continue in the outside lane through Ingram Blvd. Exit Ramps at 7th Street and Ingram Blvd. I-40 eastbound was narrowed to a single lane at the I-40/I-55 Interchange. I-55 southbound has been reduced to a single outside lane just before the western I-40/I-55 Interchange. In recent weeks, several steps have been taken to ease the traffic flow in the area.ĪRDOT and the city implemented a plan to improve the flow of traffic. But if the additional expense is prolonged, it is likely to be passed on to consumers.” Our industry will continue to make deliveries. This additional transit time at $1.20 a minute for 26,500 trucks is costing the trucking industry more than $2.4 million each day that the bridge is closed,” said Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “Using GPS data, we can discern that a previous 8-minute drive is now averaging 84 minutes. The Arkansas Trucking Association estimates the closure will cost the trucking industry $2.4 million a day as traffic has to be routed elsewhere. How much it will cost to repair the bridge has not been released. The mayor said he’s been told it could be August before the work is complete, but he’s not sure how reliable any estimates are at this time. Some estimate the work will extend to the end of July. It carries more than 41,000 vehicles a day, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), which is charged with making repairs to the bridge. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) is responsible for inspecting the 3.3-mile bridge. It’s a real concern for us,” he said.Ī timetable for completing repairs to the I-40 bridge, also known as the Hernando de Soto Bridge has not been released. “People are creatures of habit, and it doesn’t take long for them to change their habits … we don’t want that to become a permanent thing. Because of the grinding traffic, businesses are losing those consumers, and the mayor fears if the bridge is shut down for an extended amount of time, those consumers will stop coming to Arkansas to shop. For many that live in the downtown area it’s quicker and easier for them to shop in West Memphis. McClendon said he thinks truckers are either fueling up before or after they get to the I-55 bridge.Īnother source of sales tax bleed is the Downtown Memphis residential community.
One truck stop is losing up to $14,000 per day in fuel sales, according to the city. There are several large truck stops in the area and their fuel receipts have dramatically dropped. Highways and streets throughout the city have been choked by the high volume of vehicles trying to get around and it has caused many tourists to avoid the city, he said.Īs many as 60,000 vehicles a day travel in or around the city and many of them are large trucks moving products across the country.
“Our city didn’t ask for this … there’s no question this is hurting us,” McClendon said.Ī lot of those losses can be attributed to a decline in the number of people visiting the city’s top tourist attraction, Southland Casino, the mayor said. West Memphis tallies about $1.5 million per month in sales tax collections, but since the closure that number has dropped by more than 25%, according to figures released by the city. The life blood for most cities in Arkansas – sales tax receipts – has plummeted in the city since the bridge closure. Despite efforts to re-route traffic onto the I-55 bridge, the economic consequences to West Memphis have been devastating, West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon told Talk Business & Politics. was shut down May 11 after a fracture was discovered in a primary support beam, the flow of goods came to a standstill. When the I-40 bridge, the busiest freight carrying bridge in the U.S. Interstate 55, which connects Canada to Mexico, and Interstate 40, which connects the west coast to the east coast, meet in West Memphis, the largest city in Crittenden County that abuts the Mississippi River.
There is one place in the western hemisphere where north meets south and east meets west from a goods distribution perspective.
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