A new attraction that will offer unprecedented views of the Mississippi River broke ground at the southern end of Tom Lee Park Thursday morning.
Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) announced that The Memphis Flyway will open in 2026, and will be the only “ free and ADA-accessible observation deck on the Mississippi River.” The organization expects more than 1 million visitors per year.
“The Memphis Flyway will become the premier place to experience the Mississippi River along the Great River Road, which follows the Mississippi River from its source in Minnesota to its delta at the Gulf of Mexico,” MRPP said in a statement.
The Flyway was designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, who also oversaw the renovation of Tom Lee Park. According to MRPP, the project is a ground-supported canopy boardwalk supported by three steel mast column bundles.
Credit: Memphis Riverfront Parks Parntership Credit: Memphis riverfront Parks Parntership
“It extends along the southeast-northwest direction for a total length of approximately 218 feet,” MRPP said. “ The Memphis Flyway presents a slightly curving main span 105 feet long followed by an overlook span.”
While The Flyway presents a way to preserve history and attract tourists, it will also practice conservation.
“The Memphis Flyway will conserve the unspoiled habitat below the structure for a wide variety of species, including the at-risk Monarch butterfly and offer visitors a view of the more than 100 species of birds that fly past the Memphis riverfront each year,” the organization said.
This project is being funded by the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and an anonymous donor.
The I-55 Bridge across the Mississippi River will close for two weeks or more starting Sunday.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) said during that time contract crews “will hydro-demolition the bridge deck and provide a new polymer concrete overlay.” The overlay has strict temperature restrictions. So, all work is weather-dependent.
The closure is the first of two allowed in the bridge contract.
Here are details for local travelers:
• Sunday, June 9, 8:00 pm through Sunday, June 23, 8:00 pm
• I-55 southbound will be closed at Bridgeport Road in Arkansas
• I-55 northbound will be closed at South Parkway.
• Local traffic will be allowed to continue to the McLemore exit
American Queen Voyages (AQV) announced the closure of the company, citing the inability to return to pre-COVID operations as the cause of significant monetary problems.
“Despite our best efforts, demand for overnight cruises has not recovered following the pandemic, and AQV has become financially unsustainable,” AQV said in a statement.
AQV’s seven-ship fleet set sail in 2011. According to Cruise Industry News, the American Queen, the first boat the company obtained, was considered to be the largest river steamboat ever built, with a capacity of 436 guests. This boat was primarily used for cruising along the Mississippi River.
“We are deeply proud of our crew and the outstanding travel experiences and service we have provided to our guests,” the company said in a statement. As we reflect on the journey we have shared over the years, we are filled with gratitude for the privilege of serving our guests, partners, and agents and for being part of our incredible local communities.”
The Mayors of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) issued a statement following the announcement noting the significant economic opportunity on the Mississippi River “generating over $37.4 billion in annual revenue supporting over 517,000 jobs.”
The river cruise industry along the Mississippi has dominated the market share of the U.S. river cruising economy. According to Grand View Research, the river cruising industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20.8 percent from 2023 to 2030,” MRCTI said.
While AQV said demand for overnight cruises has not recovered since the pandemic, MRCTI cites AAA travel data saying domestic river cruise bookings for 2022 surpassed pre-pandemic levels by 25 percent.
“We see an overall river cruising industry with significant opportunities and growth potential into the rest of this decade and beyond,” MRCTI said. “In some of our cities, the burgeoning river cruise industry and all the third-party services it supports can account for over 40 percent of that city’s economy and we only see demand increasing.”
MRCTI anticipates a number of cruise companies to take advantage of AQV’s closing, however they added “acquisition of assets and reorganization remain as possibilities.”
As a result of the closure, all cruises have been canceled, and customers may apply for a refund through their website.
Some carp caught in the Mississippi River are back on the menu.
Last week, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) lifted a “do not consume” advisory for silver carp and big head carp caught in the river. However, the advisory remains in effect for all other fish species in the river near Memphis.
The move was based on fish tissue samples collected last year and from historical data collected from 2005. The data show the carp are below Tennessee’s trigger point for all contaminants of concern.
“We provide these advisories so the community can make informed decisions about whether or not to consume fish where water contact hazards exist,” said TDEC Deputy Commissioner Greg Young. “Data studied from the collection in the Mississippi River have allowed TDEC to lift the previous advisory on the two species, and we are pleased to make this change. But we reiterate that the status for all other species has not changed.”
The blanket “do not consume” advisory was issued for all fish in the river in Shelby County in 1982 due to elevated levels of chlordane. The list was expanded in 1993 to include PCBs, endrin, dieldrin, and dioxin. Fish tested for these included sturgeon, buffalo common carp, catfish, carpsucker, sauger, bass, and crappie.
2021 was twice as deadly as 2020 for Covid-19 in Shelby County. In 2020, 903 died of Covid here. In 2021, 1,807 passed from the virus.
A consent decree forced Horn Lake leaders to approve the construction of a new mosque.
Family members wanted $20 million from the city of Memphis; Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW); and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) for the 2020 beating death of a man by an MLGW employee.
New DNA testing was requested in the West Memphis Three case for recently rediscovered evidence once claimed to be lost or burned.
February
An ice storm knocked out power to nearly 140,000 MLGW customers.
The new concourse — in the works since 2014 — opened at Memphis International Airport.
Paving on Peabody Avenue began after the project was approved in 2018.
Protect Our Aquifer teamed up with NASA for aquifer research.
A prosecutor moved to block DNA testing in the West Memphis Three case.
March
A bill before the Tennessee General Assembly would have banned the sale of hemp-derived products, like Delta-8 gummies, in the state. It ultimately provided regulation for the industry.
The project to fix the interchange at Crump Ave. and I-55 resurfaced. Bids on the project, which could cost up to $184.9 million, were returned. Work did not begin in 2022 but when it does, it could close the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the Old Bridge) for two weeks.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee temporarily cut sales taxes on groceries.
April
The Mississippi River ranked as one of the most endangered rivers in America in a report from the American Rivers group.
Critics lambasted decisions by Memphis in May and Africa in April to honor Ghana and Malawi, both of which outlaw basic LGBTQ+ rights.
The federal government announced a plan to possibly ban menthol cigarettes.
Lawmakers approved Gov. Lee’s plan to update the state’s 30-year-old education funding plan.
Tom Lee Park (Photo: Memphis River Parks Partnership)
May
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi prepared for the likely overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision, ending legal abortions in the state.
The Greater Memphis Chamber pressed for a third bridge to be built here over the Mississippi River.
Cooper-Young landlords sued to evict the owners of Heaux House for “specializing in pornographic images.”
The Memphis City Council wanted another review of Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) plan to remove coal ash from the shuttered Allen Fossil Plant.
June
New research showed Memphis-area women earned 83 percent of their male counterparts income in the workplace from 2000-2019.
Gov. Lee ordered schools to double down on existing security measures in the wake of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
MPD arrested four drivers in an operation it called Infiniti War Car Take-Over.
A key piece of the Tom Lee Park renovation project won a $3.7 million federal grant, which was expected to trigger nearly $9 million in additional funds.
Tennessee Republican attorney general fought to keep gender identity discrimination in government food programs.
Jim Dean stepped down as president and CEO of the Memphis Zoo and was replaced by Matt Thompson, then the zoo’s executive director and vice president.
Locals reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
July
Memphian Brett Healey took the stage at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Eating Contest.
One Beale developers returned to Memphis City Hall for the fourth time asking for financial support of its luxury hotel plans.
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) board placed Superintendent Joris Ray on paid leave as they investigated whether he violated district policies with relationships with co-workers and abused his power.
The project to forever eliminate parking on the Overton Park Greensward got $3 million in federal funding.
Tennessee’s attorney general celebrated a win after a federal judge blocked a move that would have allowed trans kids to play sports on a team of their gender.
Tennessee’s top Pornhub search was “interracial” in 2021, according to the site.
August
A panel of Tennessee judges did not give a new trial to Barry Jamal Martin, a Black man convicted in a Pulaski jury room decked out in Confederate portraits, flags, and memorabilia.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert caught flak from the Tennessee Comptroller after traveling to Jamaica while her offices were closed to catch up on the controversial backlog of license plate requests from citizens.
MSCS superintendent Joris Ray resigned with a severance package worth about $480,000. Finance chief Toni Williams was named interim superintendent.
Officials said the Memphis tourism sector had made a “full recovery” from the pandemic.
A new bail system unveiled here was touted by advocates to be “one of the fairest in the nation.”
Eliza Fletcher (Photo: Memphis Police Department)
September
Memphis kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher was abducted and murdered while on an early-morning run. Cleotha Abston, out of jail early on previous abduction charges, was arrested for the crimes.
MLGW’s board continues to mull the years-long decision to, possibly, find a new power provider.
Ezekiel Kelly, 19, was arrested on charges stemming from an alleged, hours-long shooting rampage across Memphis that ended with four dead and three injured.
A Drag March was planned for the “horrible mishandling” of a drag event at MoSH. Event organizers canceled the show there after a group of Proud Boys arrived armed to protest the event.
October
Workers at four Memphis restaurants, including Earnestine & Hazel’s, sued the owners to recover alleged unpaid minimum wage and overtime.
Shelby County was largely unfazed by an outbreak of monkeypox with only about 70 infected here as of October.
Animal welfare advocates called a University of Memphis research lab “the worst in America” after a site visit revealed it violated numerous federal protocols concerning the care of test animals.
While other states have outlawed the practice, Tennessee allows medical professionals and medical students to — without any kind of permission — stick their fingers and instruments inside a woman’s vagina and rectum while she is under anesthesia.
Joshua Smith, a co-defendant in the election finance case against former state Sen. Brian Kelsey, pleaded guilty in court.
The Environmental Protection Agency told South Memphis residents little could be done to protect them from toxic emissions from the nearby Sterilization Services facility.
West Tennessee farmers struggled to get crops to market because of the record-low level of the Mississippi River.
November
Groups asked state officials for a special investigator to review the “very real failures that led to [Eliza] Fletcher’s tragic murder.”
A group wanted state officials to change the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional.
A plan to forever end parking on the Overton Park Greensward was finalized by city leaders, the Memphis Zoo, and the Overton Park Conservancy.
December
The Commercial Appeal dodged layoffs in the latest round of news staff reductions by Gannett.
Federal clean-energy investments will further ingrain Tennessee in the Battery Belt and help develop a Southeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (H2Hubs).
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee criticized Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) for canceling gender affirmation surgery for a 19-year-old patient.
State and local officials investigated an alleged milk spill into Lick Creek.
MLGW rejected Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) 20-year rolling contract but will continue to be a TVA customer “for the foreseeable future.”
Former state Senator Brian Kelsey’s law license was suspended after he pled guilty to two felonies related to campaign finance laws last month.
Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
Memphis Flyer staffers Chris McCoy and Bruce VanWyngarden recently went out to get some fresh views of the shrinking Mississippi River.
Posted to Instagram by Memphis Flyer
Flyer staffer Toby Sells had fun last week visiting some of the Memphis area’s best Halloween decorations, from Cooper-Young to Bartlett’s Halloween Cove.
Affirmations
Posted to Instagram by Memphis Affirmations
This IG has not been updated since April, but it’s worth a look. Memphis Affirmations really is an affirmation board for Memphians.
But instead of phrases like “I am enough” or “I am brave and bold,” we tell ourselves, “I will not have my first LSD trip be at the Lamplighter Lounge” or “I will be stronger than 95 percent of the Memphis power lines.”
The Mississippi is 10.75 feet below normal. (Photo: Bruce VanWyngarden)
The boardwalk to Harbor Town Marina on Mud Island usually runs at a slight decline to the water from the parking lot near Cordelia’s Market. Today, the walkway slants at a precipitous angle, flat to the ground, down to the marina and its collection of yachts, cruisers, houseboats, and ski-boats, most of which are literally stuck in the mud. The Mississippi River is at its all-time historical low in Memphis — 10.75 feet below normal.
I’m meeting John Gary, one of Memphis’ preeminent river men. Gary’s been going out on the Mississippi since his boyhood, 50 years ago. He knows the Memphis section of the river like few others. We’ve been friends for many years.
“Over here,” he shouts. I see him approaching from the far end of the dock, where there appears to be at least a few inches of water, and where Gary’s 19-foot runabout is tied up.
“This is crazy,” I said.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he replies. “There’s a lot of beach out there where a river used to be.”
John Gary and Max (Photo: Bruce VanWyngarden)
We climb into the boat and putter our way south, heading out of the harbor, past the Downtown skyline, past the exposed cobblestones, and past an ancient, long-hidden motorboat with its stern sticking out of the mud. Gary’s two dogs, Max and Lyon, are our happy passengers.
Once on the river, we turn north and motor briskly under the Hernando DeSoto Bridge. We’re going over to take a look at the Loosahatchie Bar (known by locals as Robinson Crusoe Island). It’s the island you see just north of the bridge as you cross into Arkansas. Well, it used to be an island. Now, not so much. What was once a river back-channel is currently a vast sandbar that connects the island to the mainland and reaches halfway across the river to Downtown.
Gary finds a good spot to stick the boat anchor in the sand and we tie off. The dogs run ahead, eager to explore this fresh Sahara, with its high white dunes and its deep dark pockets where the water lingered longest, now as dry as the gar and carp bones bleaching in the sun. Animal footprints remain in the once-muddy sand around the now-gone watering holes: great blue heron, coyote/dog, raccoon, even a large cat track or two. I take photo after photo, dazzled by the weirdness of standing on the bottom of the country’s biggest river.
After a while, we decide to motor upriver along Mud Island, where we pass a long string of barges that are running their engines at the precise speed needed to stay in place against the current. They are loaded with benzene (used to refine gasoline), ammonia, fertilizer, concrete, and other farm and industrial essentials.
Harbor Town Marina (Photo: Bruce VanWyngarden)
Gary explains that the channel has narrowed so much upriver that only one barge can pass at a time. Barges coming downstream have the right of way, so upstream barges can often sit for hours a day, burning fuel, awaiting their turn. For the moment, this section of America’s supply chain is dead in the water. Results coming soon to a gas station or construction site near you.
We continue north until we reach the mouth of the Wolf River, which looks more like the Wolf Ripple as it splashes over rocks and mud, adding a temporary trickle to the Mother of Waters.
How long does this go on? How low can the Mississippi go? And as Mother Nature continues to show us new climate change tricks, is this something we can expect to happen more often? The immediate prediction is that we can expect the river to stay low for the near future, and possibly even drop further. Meaning we can expect a vital supply lane for the U.S. economy to continue to be slowed, at best.
Back at Harbor Town, we tie off Gary’s boat to the very end of the marina in a couple feet of water. As we survey the bent steel and broken boards of the marina’s structure, and the dozens of boats settled into the brown goo, it’s obvious that most of these vessels won’t be going anywhere for quite some time. For now, there is no joy in Mud Island. The mighty Mississippi has struck out.
Posts are pouring in on the record-low level of the Mississippi River. Let’s have a look at conditions from the headwaters at Itasca State Park in Minnesota (where levels are normal) to Louisiana (where they’re not).
Minnesota
Illinois
Posted to Twitter by Ohio Valley Aerial
A dry spot south of Cairo, IL.
Missouri
Posted to Twitter by Hiking With Shawn
People are hiking to Tower Rock, which is usually surrounded by water.
Tennessee
Posted to Twitter by Charles Peek
Boats sag onto the muddy bottom of the Wolf River Harbor at the Mud Island Marina.
The banks of the Mississippi River at Memphis. (Photo: Dulce Torres Guzman)
John Dodson’s corn, cotton and soybean fields lie fewer than 10 miles from the Mississippi River, the key transportation artery for west Tennessee grain farmers. But they might as well be a thousand miles.
Historically low water levels on the river are coming at the worst possible time for him. It’s peak harvest season, but he can’t get his crop to market.
West Tennessee farmers have long relied on proximity to the Mississippi, delivering their crops directly from the field to the river. The ease of access has meant many farmers lack large grain storage silos that farmers in the Midwest and elsewhere rely on.
While drought strangles transportation on the Mississippi, many of these farmers are now being forced to leave crops in the field and pray for rain to fall anywhere and everywhere else but above their harvest-ready crops.
“It’s a double-edged sword for us right now,” Dodson said. “We need rain for the river to go up, but we don’t need it in terms of our crops in the field.”
“I haven’t ever seen this before. We have the Mississippi right on our back doorstep and we’ve always been able to rely on it.”
The Mississippi River last week reached the lowest levels ever recorded — at minus-10.75 feet near Memphis, according to the National Weather Service.
It is the most critical artery for grain exports in the nation. About 60% of all U.S. grain exports flow down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico for overseas export, according to the National Park Service.
It’s a double-edged sword for us right now. We need rain for the river to go up, but we don’t need it in terms of our crops in the field.
– John Dodson, Dyer County farmer
Barge traffic has been restricted and the U.S. Coast Guard has limited the weight borne by each barge, measured in drafts — or the distance between the waterline and the deepest point of the boat. Draft limits are typically 12 feet. Last week the Guard limited drafts to 9 feet below the waterline in an effort to avert groundings in shallow water.
“There’s been a lot of groundings,” said Jamie Bigbie, vice president of Southern-Devall, which operates fleets of towboats and liquid barges that typically carry fertilizer to farmers.
The delays have been have costly, he said. A recent trip that typically takes seven days down the Mississippi took the company’s crew 14 days, he said. Weight restrictions limiting the amount of cargo still require the same number of crew, driving up costs.
Crews stay on board for the entirety of the trip so the delays require additional supply boats bringing provisions and fuel to the barges, he said. And barges running aground imperil the safety of the crews on board and require expensive repairs, he said.
“We need rain, obviously,” he said. “And I hope we get rain before it turns into snow. That’s how we get the ball rolling. I pray for rain.”
Nashville-based Ingram Barge, the largest barge operator in the United States, notified customers it had declared record water levels a “force majeure event,” the company said in a statement on Friday. The declaration invokes an “act of God” provision in their contracts.
“Chronic low water conditions throughout the inland river system have had a negative effect on many who rely on the river, including Ingram Barge,” the statement from John Roberts, Ingram Barge’s CEO, said. “We recently informed customers that given the difficult operating conditions posed by this low water, we were providing formal notice of a force majeure event — namely that circumstances out of our control were preventing normal river transport operations in certain areas.”
The banks of the Mississippi River at Memphis. (Photo: Dulce Torres Guzman)
Dodson, the Dyer County farmer, said he is more fortunate than most. He and his father took advantage of a state cost-sharing program to build large grain storage structures on their farm. The situation for neighboring farms is more dire, he said. More than 90% of Dyer County is devoted to agriculture.
The wait to load grain onto Consolidated Grain & Barge in Dyersburg has been running 4-7 hours a day. Dodson’s other loading destination in Lauderdale County has experienced multiple day-long closures entirely in recent weeks.
Those two locations handle the majority of crops in Dyer, Lauderdale, Obion, Tipton, Crockett and other west Tennessee counties, including Dodson’s.
The weather in west Tennessee has been beautiful – sunny, temperate and perfect for harvesting crops. Any substantial rain now could imperil crops in the field. Dodson is setting his hopes on rain anywhere north – Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota – to replenish the river.
“We need rain in the United States, but it doesn’t need to be in Dyer County,” he said.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.
The exposed beach on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River across from Memphis has grown to more than a mile in width. Hiker Sallie Sabatini lends perspective on the epic scale of the scene.
Flyer staffers Chris McCoy and Bruce VanWyngarden went out to get some fresh views of the shrinking Mississippi River on Thursday. Here are some of their shots. VanWyngarden hitched a boat ride from local river expert John Gary. McCoy and several friends hiked along the Arkansas side.
Under the M Bridge – bvMouth of the Wolf River at a trickle – bvView from Loosahatchie Bar – bvJohn Gary and Max in the middle of the Mississippi -bvLoosahatchie Bar – bvDowntown’s new beachfront property – bvHarbor Town Marina – bvHiking on what is usually the bottom of the river. – cmCracks appear in the “Big Muddy – cm”.The view under the Harahan and I-55 bridges – cmStriations along the sandy riverbank provides perspective on the historically low river level. – cmThe exposed beach on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River across from Memphis has grown to more than a mile in width. Hiker Sallie Sabatini lends perspective on the epic scale of the scene. cmJohn Pickle examines the remains of the 19th-century ferry dock on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. – cmAnybody lose a boat? – cmThis exposed tree trunk is usually underwater. – cmEven at a historically low level, the Mississippi River never stops carving new channels. cmChris McCoy descends a dune on the drought-expanded banks of the Mississippi RIver. – cmAtop an exposed jetty. – cmExplorers stopping for a lunch break. Note the animal tracks in the foreground. – cmSeen from the beach, the Harahan Bridge appears to cross a dry river. Crews have been struggling to keep the last navigable lanes of the river open. cmAll photos by Chris McCoy and Bruce VanWyngarden
