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Interstate 269

Started by Chris, July 19, 2009, 11:10:48 AM

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Bobby5280

Quote from: US71I thought there was discussion a few years ago about replacing the bridge on 55, but it never happened.  I-40 had some work done a few years back to make it more quake resistant.

Neither of those bridges comply with current Interstate highway standards. The I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge may sport 3 lanes in each direction, but there are no inner or outer shoulders. The I-55 bridge is just 2 lanes in each direction. The road looks so narrow I worry about trading paint with other vehicles while crossing. The only positive thing I can say about the I-55 bridge is it does provide pedestrian and bicycle access on paths attached on the outer edges of the structure.

Quote from: froggieHave you ever driven that segment of 55 north of 240, Bobby?  Even at rush hour, it flows pretty well, and certainly doesn't need "four or five lanes in each direction."  The vast bulk of the problem is the Crump interchange.  Fix that, fix the lane drops so you have a consistent 6 lanes, and twin the river bridge if you have to.  That's all that's really needed on 55.

Yes, I've driven it before but usually avoid it and take I-40 instead. I've seen pretty good traffic back-ups on both sides of the I-55 bridge. If the traffic through that stretch of I-55 is flowing well at all during rush hour it's probably because others are just avoiding that zone of Memphis entirely.


froggie

Quote from: Bobby5280The only positive thing I can say about the I-55 bridge is it does provide pedestrian and bicycle access on paths attached on the outer edges of the structure to an adjacent railroad bridge.

FTFY

(while the I-55 bridge does technically have walkways, they don't connect to anything on the Arkansas side, and the Tennessee side has been horribly unmaintained)

QuoteI've seen pretty good traffic back-ups on both sides of the I-55 bridge.

Due to the Crump interchange, as previously noted.  The rest of I-55 from Crump to 240 is generally fine.

webny99

Considering the two Memphis-area crossings (I-55 and I-40) are the only two Mississippi River crossings along a span of over 150 miles, it would be hard to say that building the other "half" of I-269, providing two additional river crossings, wouldn't be justified.

Granted, such would be a challenge both fiscally and coordination-wise with one state, much less three, but all three would reap their fair share of the benefits. I would think it would be in the long-term vision, maybe as part of a 50-year regional plan, if nothing else.

Tomahawkin

I would love to see 269 extended across the river into Arkansas. I think it would increase commerce in Those towns in east Arkansas en route to Little Rock. Not to mention, I could make it to Little Rock From Atlanta in a little over 7 hours. In what used to be 8 and a half-9 hour hour drive...

MikieTimT

Quote from: froggie on January 14, 2019, 08:17:31 AM
^ Still an improvement over the previous single-lane loop plus weaving-situations.

Just barely given the tight radius of the cloverleaf quadrant and the rather large amount of semi traffic that would have trouble keeping their lane .  The only way it isn't a bottleneck would be to replace the northbound cloverleaf with a flyover.  Not that it would likely be a priority anytime soon.  A southern I-269 that attached to I-55, or better yet, I-40 to bypass West Memphis as well, would be a boon to interstate travel.

seicer

Improvements are planned to make I-55 the through route with the removal of the cloverleaf: https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-4/interstate-55-crump-boulevard-interchange.html

MikeTheActuary

Quote from: froggie on January 14, 2019, 11:37:26 AM
Quote from: Bobby5280The only positive thing I can say about the I-55 bridge is it does provide pedestrian and bicycle access on paths attached on the outer edges of the structure to an adjacent railroad bridge.

FTFY

(while the I-55 bridge does technically have walkways, they don't connect to anything on the Arkansas side, and the Tennessee side has been horribly unmaintained)

I have walked across the I-55 bridge on the sidewalk.  I cringe to think about what it'd be like now, almost 33 years later.

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Quote from: MikeTheActuary on January 14, 2019, 08:21:57 PM
Quote from: froggie on January 14, 2019, 11:37:26 AM
Quote from: Bobby5280The only positive thing I can say about the I-55 bridge is it does provide pedestrian and bicycle access on paths attached on the outer edges of the structure to an adjacent railroad bridge.

FTFY

(while the I-55 bridge does technically have walkways, they don't connect to anything on the Arkansas side, and the Tennessee side has been horribly unmaintained)

I have walked across the I-55 bridge on the sidewalk.  I cringe to think about what it'd be like now, almost 33 years later.

Couldn't convince myself to try that in 2003 (when I took this picture).
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

sparker

Quote from: seicer on January 14, 2019, 01:03:29 PM
Improvements are planned to make I-55 the through route with the removal of the cloverleaf: https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-4/interstate-55-crump-boulevard-interchange.html

I'd like to see a publication date of that TNDOT info release; AFAIK a positive ROD was issued several years ago; but the TNDOT article cites problems with the MPO's methodology re determination of need -- so it's back to the proverbial drawing board at least as far as approval is concerned.  The plans illustrated with a direct set of continuous lanes plus a roundabout replacing the old Crump interchange haven't changed since first proffered back about 2010; but since then one thing or another has prevented the project from advancing.  My guess is that even if "green-lit" in terms of the necessary approvals, this would still remain well down TNDOT's priority list. 

seicer

I am guessing it's about the funding and priority list. With the two-lane ramp now in place, it has resolved one of the thorniest issues with the interchange. The rebuild would only increase traffic speeds and simplify that interchange further, but it doesn't seem to be an immediate need.

froggie

^^ The ROD was issued in 2012.  TDOT had an active plan to begin the project ca. 2015-16 but put it on hold after local opposition surfaced to their plan to shut down the bridge during some of the construction.  Then the project was defunded.

Bobby5280

Quote from: froggie(while the I-55 bridge does technically have walkways, they don't connect to anything on the Arkansas side, and the Tennessee side has been horribly unmaintained)

It's still possible to walk across those bridges, even if there are no sidewalks continuing the pathway on the Arkansas side. The pedestrian path on the adjacent railroad bridge is a new thing (built in 2015). I got a chuckle out of the current Google Earth imagery of the end of the sidewalk on the Arkanas side of the bridge (NB lanes). Someone left a recliner there at the end of the sidewalk. Someone could take a load off after the end of their stroll across the bridge. Watch out for creepy crawlies though.

Quote from: froggieDue to the Crump interchange, as previously noted.  The rest of I-55 from Crump to 240 is generally fine.

Three lanes in each direction is fine for now, with that crappy existing I-55 bridge and I-69 nowhere at all near completion. If the I-55 bridge was replaced and I-69 completed there would be quite a bit more traffic going through that zone. I would expect traffic counts to starting getting more of a bump just from I-269 and I-22 being completed.

The other alternative to improving I-55 in SW Memphis is widening I-240 and I-40 in downtown Memphis. That might be even harder to do. So, once again, with all those deficiencies noted, it makes a stronger case for a new bridge cross down by Tunica -extending I-269 across the river and up to I-40. It would divert a lot of long-distance, thru traffic. Then the folks within Memphis can do whatever. Tear out I-55 and turn it into a surface street. Let the old 4-lane bridge fall into the river.

edwaleni

Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 14, 2019, 09:50:52 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on January 14, 2019, 08:21:57 PM
Quote from: froggie on January 14, 2019, 11:37:26 AM
Quote from: Bobby5280The only positive thing I can say about the I-55 bridge is it does provide pedestrian and bicycle access on paths attached on the outer edges of the structure to an adjacent railroad bridge.

FTFY

(while the I-55 bridge does technically have walkways, they don't connect to anything on the Arkansas side, and the Tennessee side has been horribly unmaintained)

I have walked across the I-55 bridge on the sidewalk.  I cringe to think about what it'd be like now, almost 33 years later.

Couldn't convince myself to try that in 2003 (when I took this picture).


Once the pedestrian trail opened on the Harahan Bridge, they closed the Memphis & Arkansas to pedestrians.

QuoteThe Memphis & Arkansas Bridge carries U.S. Highways 61, 64, 70 and 79 from Memphis to West Memphis; it also carried U.S. Highway 63 prior to its truncation (and later rerouting) in Arkansas. The western terminus of Tennessee State Route 1 sits on the Tennessee-Arkansas boundary halfway across the bridge.

The bridge consists of five Warren through trusses, each with a length of 790 feet (240 m). Combined with the approach segments, the bridge's total length is 5,222 feet (1,592 m). Completed in 1949, it is the only bridge spanning the Mississippi River designed to carry exclusively vehicular traffic that was built before 1950. it was designed by Modjeski and Desoto, successors to the firm that designed the Harahan Bridge, built in 1916 to carry vehicular and rail traffic.[3] The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]

Having been built before the introduction of the Interstate Highway System, the span was not built to Interstate Highway standards, lacking the concrete barrier between the different directions of traffic which was added later. It was also built with a sidewalk on either side of the roadway, positioned just outside the steel truss girders. The sidewalks, now also separated from the traffic lanes by concrete barriers, are accessible from Memphis city sidewalks on the Tennessee side, but give way to grassy slopes on the shoulders of I-55 on the Arkansas side.

The sidewalk and bridge is listed as part of the Mississippi River Trail. However, travel is not recommended across the sidewalk and is prohibited on the vehicle traffic lanes of the bridge, being an Interstate highway crossing. On August 12, 2012, a cyclist was killed after being struck by a vehicle when using the shoulder approaching the bridge.[4] In 2016, a pedestrian/bicycle path on the neighboring Harahan Bridge made crossing the river safer and eliminated the need to use the I-55 bridge.[5]

On Tuesday, December 23, 2014, numerous news sources reported that the FBI had released an official statement warning local law enforcements of a threat to the bridge during that month. The FBI stated, "According to an anonymous complainant... ISIS instructed an ISIS member, a presumed USPER (U.S. person) in Memphis, with a direct order to blow up the Memphis-Arkansas bridge on an unknown date, activating ISIS terror cells in the United States." Security was heightened, but the threat was later discredited.[6]

NE2

Citation needed for the I-55 sidewalks being closed to peds (rather than just bypassed).
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

Tomahawkin

Drove 269 last Friday at rush hour and was amazed at how many people use this route. Tennessee did a great job in being proactive in getting this route built. It definitely helps ease the traffic along IH 240 and Mississippi route 302 which was hell to get through prior to the completion of IH 269. I just wish it could be extended west to connect to IH 40 in Eastern Arkansas.

edwaleni

Quote from: NE2 on January 15, 2019, 09:36:43 PM
Citation needed for the I-55 sidewalks being closed to peds (rather than just bypassed).

Arkansas removed the west ped access to the bridge when the Harahan ped access opened. Memphis used to host a bridge walk from the east side but it has since moved to the Harahan.

All the updated Mississippi River bike trail maps have removed the M&A as a path and moved it over the Harahan.

So while it technically still exists and there are no barrels or rope blocking anyone from entering on the Memphis side, there is no safe way to complete the crossing anymore so you essentially walk back.

So by law is it closed? Not that I can tell. Is it functionally closed? Yes because you can't cross it anymore, at least not legally and without risking your life.

MikeTheActuary

Quote from: edwaleni on March 12, 2019, 12:53:08 PMArkansas removed the west ped access to the bridge when the Harahan ped access opened. Memphis used to host a bridge walk from the east side but it has since moved to the Harahan.

All the updated Mississippi River bike trail maps have removed the M&A as a path and moved it over the Harahan.

So while it technically still exists and there are no barrels or rope blocking anyone from entering on the Memphis side, there is no safe way to complete the crossing anymore so you essentially walk back.

So by law is it closed? Not that I can tell. Is it functionally closed? Yes because you can't cross it anymore, at least not legally and without risking your life.

In the years I grew up in Memphis...the Arkansas end of the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge sidewalks was rather abrupt.  You were left to either go down the embankment on the south side to access Daucus Lake Rd., or continue on along the shoulder (hoping not to be hit or have stuff thrown at you) to the Bridgeport Road exit.   On the Memphis side, the south walkway was accessible through Crump Park, while the north walkway was accessible from a crumbling staircase off the Frisco bridge access road.

I don't remember having seen anything change as regards the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge sidewalks since the Big River Crossing, and the GSV images (dated June last year) match my memory.

I don't know what that means in terms of the sidewalks being open or closed, and using them hasn't been a great idea for many years....but I think they're still accessible.

Ryctor2018

Google street view has updated (some of) Interstate 269 in Mississippi, around Memphis. The images are from Mar 2019, but all of the freeway is not online yet.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.8733567,-89.7348822,3a,75y,48.02h,86.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szYQ51TPkgeNE_f3kgopZ7Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
2DI's traveled: 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, 35, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 49, 55, 57, 59, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 85, 87, 88, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96

GreenLanternCorps

Quote from: Ryctor2018 on July 29, 2019, 06:35:39 PM
Google street view has updated (some of) Interstate 269 in Mississippi, around Memphis. The images are from Mar 2019, but all of the freeway is not online yet.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.8733567,-89.7348822,3a,75y,48.02h,86.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szYQ51TPkgeNE_f3kgopZ7Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Looks like he got on at MS 304 went East and got off at MS 302.

Brooks

https://dailymemphian.com/article/6506/New-I-269-interchange-next-project-up-for-Hernando

This article from yesterday gives a few details about the project to realign and widen McIngvale Road in Hernando and the subsequent project to add an interchange with I-269.

Tomahawkin

I like the addition of a new interchange and widening of McInvale Rd near IH-55. Hopefully this is complete within 18 months. I need a way to bypass rush hour traffic on 55 south of the 302 interchange. Why it's only 2 lanes in each direction instead of 4 is beyond me!

froggie

^ Because MDOT and the state legislature put almost all their road construction money into their rural 4-lane program, is by and large against raising the gas tax to increase revenue, and is now increasingly broke as a result of both.

MikeTheActuary

^^
I'm in Memphis for a couple of days, one of my routine trips to check up on my father.

Local TV is full of ads for the Mississippi GOP primaries coming up soon.   At least one candidate for Transportation Commissioner appears to be campaigning hard on the "no gas tax increase" front, to the extent that any of the candidates for any office are talking about proposals/positions.

Grzrd

Quote from: Brooks on July 30, 2019, 04:27:55 PM
https://dailymemphian.com/article/6506/New-I-269-interchange-next-project-up-for-Hernando
This article from yesterday gives a few details about the project to realign and widen McIngvale Road in Hernando and the subsequent project to add an interchange with I-269.

This article provides an update on the McIngvale Road interchange and states that it should be finished next Spring:

http://m.desototimes.com/news/mcingvale-interchange-improvements-showing-progress/article_ac42ff84-abe5-11ea-ac92-17953f7ac524.html

rte66man

Quote from: Grzrd on August 09, 2020, 12:59:35 PM
Quote from: Brooks on July 30, 2019, 04:27:55 PM
https://dailymemphian.com/article/6506/New-I-269-interchange-next-project-up-for-Hernando
This article from yesterday gives a few details about the project to realign and widen McIngvale Road in Hernando and the subsequent project to add an interchange with I-269.

This article provides an update on the McIngvale Road interchange and states that it should be finished next Spring:

http://m.desototimes.com/news/mcingvale-interchange-improvements-showing-progress/article_ac42ff84-abe5-11ea-ac92-17953f7ac524.html

Welcome back!

Looked at the layout on Google Maps.  I was surprised to see there is only one exit on I55 for Hernando. I know that area has really grown but it makes me wonder why they couldn't have done the McIngvale Road interchange while building 269. Also wonder why an exit wasn't put in on 55 at Byhalia Road.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra



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