Interstate 55 is one of the major north-south transportation corridors in the United States. The I-55 Interchange at E.H. Crump Boulevard and South Riverside Drive in Memphis, Shelby County, is utilized by high volumes of a combination of local commuter and through-traffic, including large volumes of commercial truck traffic. The existing interchange cannot handle the current and projected traffic volumes in the area. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve the I-55 / Crump Boulevard interchange by replacing the existing cloverleaf design with a new configuration that reduces crashes, relieves congestion, and provides route continuity for I-55.
The improvements to the I-55 / Crump Boulevard interchange will be accomplished by constructing new through travel lanes for mainline I-55 traffic, which will eliminate the requirement for interstate traffic to use single-lane, low-speed ramps in order to continue on I-55. A new multi-lane roundabout intersection will be constructed to replace the existing cloverleaf interchange and provide improved access to and from I-55 and existing local roadways.
Fisher Arnold was selected by TDOT to provide CEI services for the I-55 and Crump Interchange Project. This interchange project is slightly less than 1 mile in length and contains two major fly over bridges for Northbound and Southbound I-55. The project also includes a 2-span bridge structure over I-55. The I-55 Northbound Bridge is a six (6) span steel plate girder bridge approximately 940 feet in length. The I-55 Southbound Bridge is also a steel plate girder bridge with 9 spans and approximately 1,380 feet in length. In addition to the 3 bridge structures, the old I-55 bridge will receive some rehabilitation work on the existing structure. Additional major items include retaining walls and noise walls along I-55. Traffic control is also a major activity with the extreme heavy volume of traffic and the importance of the I-55 Bridge over the Mississippi River.
