Caruthersville Bridge

Bridge in Missouri and Tennessee, United States

36°06′54″N 89°36′47″W / 36.11500°N 89.61306°W / 36.11500; -89.61306Carries4 lanes of

I-155 / US 412CrossesMississippi RiverLocaleCaruthersville, Missouri and Dyersburg, TennesseeMaintained byTennessee Department of Transportation ID number23I01550001CharacteristicsDesignCantilever bridgeTotal length7,102 feet (2,165 m)Width78 feet (24 m)Longest span920 feet (280 m) and 520 feet (158 m)Clearance below99 feet (30 m)HistoryOpenedDecember 1, 1976StatisticsDaily traffic9,900Location Map

The Caruthersville Bridge is a single tower cantilever bridge carrying Interstate 155 and U.S. Route 412 across the Mississippi River between Caruthersville, Missouri and Dyersburg, Tennessee. It is the only bridge that connects Missouri and Tennessee. It stands downstream of the Cairo Mississippi River Bridge and upstream of the Hernando de Soto Bridge.

History

The bridge was first proposed in the early 1940s.^[1] A committee was created by both state legislatures to study the possibility of constructing the bridge in 1949.^[2] The site was chosen by the commission on November 18, 1952,^[3] which was subsequently approved by the Army Corps of Engineers on August 20, 1953.^[4] Construction of the bridge began in March 1969.^[5] The bridge cost US$25,800,000 (equivalent to $138,143,158 in 2023) and was opened on December 1, 1976, in a ceremony by Missouri Governor Kit Bond and Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton.^[6]^[7] It is the only bridge to cross the Mississippi River between Cairo, Illinois and Memphis, Tennessee, though the Dorena-Hickman Ferry also crosses the Mississippi in this area. It is also the only bridge to connect the states of Missouri and Tennessee directly. Interstate 155 connects Dyersburg, Tennessee (and the proposed Interstate 69) with Interstate 55 near Caruthersville, Missouri and Hayti, Missouri. U.S. Route 412, when created in 1982, was routed across the bridge.

References

^ Malone, Johnny (November 9, 1967). "1968 Start Seen For Mississippi Span". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1, 20. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Browning Appoints Bridge Commission". The Nashville Tennessean. September 10, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bridge Commission Approves Site". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. November 18, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved May 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Engineers Approve Site Of Mississippi Bridge". The Nashville Tennessean. Associated Press. August 21, 1953. p. 46. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Williams, Chambers (November 30, 1976). "New Bridge Opens Wednesday". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1, 5. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Williams, Chambers (December 1, 1976). "Two States Joined As Bridge Opens". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Williams, Chambers (December 2, 1976). "Hoopla Marks Opening Of River's Newest Span". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1-A. Retrieved May 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.