Lanes to close on I-40 bridge

Work on the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge at Memphis will require lane closures beginning next week and lasting through mid-December, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said.

A construction company contracted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation is installing seismic expansion joints on the bridge to make it more stable in the event of an earthquake.

Currently, a work zone is in the center of the bridge with two eastbound and westbound travel lanes open, but the new work will require a traffic shift, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said.

Beginning Wednesday, the work zone will be moved to the north side of the bridge. As a result, two westbound lanes will shift to the center of the bridge.

Two eastbound lanes will remain on the south side of the bridge. The eastbound outside lane will be closed. This configuration is expected to continue for about two months, the department said.

Future lane shifts will be required to establish work zones in the center of the bridge and on the south side of the bridge. Traffic will be controlled using barrels, a temporary barrier rail and warning signs.

Also, at 10 a.m. July 22, the Tennessee Department of Transportation will close the I-40 eastbound Exit 1 ramp to Riverside Drive and Front Street in downtown Memphis.

Traffic to downtown Memphis will be detoured to the Danny Thomas Boulevard exit and then to downtown using Poplar Avenue or Jefferson Avenue, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said.

Metro on 07/12/2014

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