SHORT: Interstate 55: Mississippi River Crossing – Tenn to Ark

Take in a vital yet often-overlooked crossing of the Mississippi River as we travel west along Interstate 55 from Memphis, Tennessee, into West Memphis, Arkansas. This brief but essential four-mile stretch bridges not just two states, but also the past and future of American infrastructure. The footage in this video was captured prior to the completion of the updated Crump Boulevard interchange, a long-anticipated project designed to ease congestion and modernize traffic flow at one of Memphis’s busiest junctions. And just ahead lies an even more dramatic transformation—plans are already underway to relocate I-55 to a brand-new bridge that will eventually rise adjacent to the aging Memphis & Arkansas Bridge.

We begin our journey just east of the Mississippi River, where I-55 ramps upward onto the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, a cantilevered steel span that has carried traffic across the river since 1949. Also known locally as the “Old Bridge,” it remains an impressive structure, supporting not only I-55 but also U.S. Routes 61, 64, 70, and 79. As we rise over the water, the Memphis skyline retreats behind us while the broad sweep of the Mississippi opens below—a panorama of industry, commerce, and timeless river life. Trains cross the nearby Harahan and Frisco bridges, while towboats push long chains of barges through muddy waters below. It’s a scene of constant motion, where old infrastructure continues to shoulder the burden of a growing region.

Once across the bridge, we enter West Memphis, Arkansas, where the flatlands of the Delta replace the blufftop cityscape. Elevated above the rail yards and truck depots that define the region, I-55 quickly intersects with I-40, forming one of the nation’s busiest freight corridors. As we descend from the viaduct, we exit onto U.S. Highway 70, entering the quieter side of West Memphis. The roads here are lined with reminders of a bygone era—weathered motels, aging truck stops, and the echoes of blues music that once floated across the Delta night.

Though short in distance, this crossing is long on meaning. It’s a corridor that has borne the weight of mid-century migration, 21st-century freight, and countless road trips in between. And with the Crump interchange now rebuilt and a new I-55 bridge on the horizon, this route is poised to enter a new chapter—one that will continue to connect east and west, past and present, with the enduring rhythm of the road.