Whatever happened to the project to fix the interchange at Crump Ave. and I-55?
It’s back after seven years of quiet. Construction could start soon and last up to four-and-a-half years. It could close Riverside Drive southbound completely and Crump Blvd. at Third. It could close the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the Old Bridge) for two weeks. It could cost up to $184.9 million.
The Flyer last wrote about this project in 2015 when state officials decided to pause their plan for the interchange project. The move came amidst a rising chorus of concerns from many that the project would close the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge for nine months, beginning in 2017.
Officials knew the project needed to be done. Then-Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer called it “the worst interchange we have in the state of Tennessee.” Then-Memphis Mayor A C Wharton called it “malfunction junction.” But officials wanted it done right and hit pause.
“Over the past several weeks, we have heard from residents, business owners, elected officials, and other stakeholders in Memphis and in Arkansas, and we understand there is a significant level of concern over a full closure of the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge,” Schroer said in a statement at the time. “We want to take the opportunity to address those concerns before moving forward with construction.”
However, TDOT continued to work on the project. Meetings to find contractors for the project began in early March this year. Bids were open on the massive project after that and closed on March 25th.
The three lowest bids on the project were from Dement Construction Co. ($184.9 million), Superior Construction Co. ($157.9 million), and Bell & Associates Construction ($141.2 million).
The new plan for the interchange seems similar to the prevailing design proposed in 2015. It would replace the current cloverleaf design at Crump and I-55 with a roundabout for local traffic and a long, elevated, sweeping, flyover curve to keep I-55 traffic flowing without slowing to (or below) the current posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour.
The cloverleaf design was built in the mid-1960s. It was meant to handle 28,500 vehicles daily, with 8 percent truck traffic, according to the Federal Highway Adminstration [FHWA]. In 2015, traffic averaged 60,330 vehicles daily with 26 percent trucks. By 2035, the interchange will see 84,500 vehicles per day, according to FHWA projections.
No firm date for construction to begin on the project is set. However, bidding documents show construction companies must complete the project within a maximum of four-and-a-half years and a minimum of two-and-a-half years.
The new plan would remove the entire south portion of the existing I-55 bridge over Metal Museum Drive and build a new one. Doing this would call for a two-week shutdown of the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge, according to bid documents. The construction sequence shows the project completed over six stages. The bridge closure would come at stage 4c and reopen at the beginning of stage five.
Once construction is underway, a series of alternate routes from interstates I-55, I-40, and I-240 will be implemented for traffic driving around the city. For example, those on I-55 northbound will be routed to use I-240 northbound.
The project will also involve a number of local street detours. The major detour will come as the plan calls for southbound lanes of Riverside Drive to be closed in stage two of construction and would not open until the project is complete. For this, one detour calls for Riverside traffic to be diverted to E. Carolina, to Florida, and to South Parkway.
Crump would also be closed at Florida. For this, the state plan would reroute much of the street’s traffic to South Parkway and Third streets.
The project comes with a set of restrictions for builders. Temporary lanes closures will only be allowed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and only eight of them can happen on weekends. Noise walls must be built at the beginning of the project and pile drivers cannot be used until they are.
More details on the project are expected from TDOT officials later this week.
Whatever Happened To is an occasional series that explores projects and plans that were big news when they were announced but have seemingly gone quiet.