TDOT to begin construction on I-55 and Crump interchange, along with other road-work

Construction on the I-55 and Crump Blvd. interchange will begin June 6, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Lane closures are set to ensue, with the two-lane southbound ramp returning to one lane. The ramp was expanded last summer when the I-40 Hernando-DeSoto Bridge, commonly known as the “M Bridge,” was closed due to a fracture in a structural beam was detected.

I-55 Southbound from the Crump Interchange to McLemore Ave. will also be closed to two lanes, along with the shoulder being closed for the next eight months during construction.

TDOT community relations officer Nichole Lawrence said the lane closures are likely to cause traffic delays for those who take I-55.

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“Anytime there’s a traffic adjustment, we can expect some traffic,” she told the Commercial Appeal Thursday. “But we hope for people to manage their time, leave earlier, or look at a different route. But I know when you’re crossing I-55, that is your route.”

There will also be eight weekends and two two-week periods where the I-55 “Old Bridge” will be closed in its entirety. Lawrence said crews are unsure of when those closures will take place, but weekend closures will begin on various Friday nights and end the following Monday mornings.

“This is going to be one of those projects where progress is pain sometimes,” she said. “We can get frustrated with making that progress, but we’re looking forward to the outcome.”

The closure will be the first step in a $141.2 million project to allow traffic to run more efficiently through the area.

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TDOT has also begun repaving about 2.4 mil Poplar Avenue between Perkins Ext and the I-240 overpass. This $4.2 million project began in the middle of March and will not be completed until September 30.

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Crews have mostly avoided working during busy daytime hours, but some work – such as the work on handicapped ramps – had to be completed in the daytime.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.F[email protected] and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: I-55 and Crump interchange construction may lead to delays