Charles W. Dean Bridge

Last updated
Charles W. Dean Bridge
Coordinates 33°37′12″N91°08′10″W / 33.62000°N 91.13611°W / 33.62000; -91.13611
Carries4 lanes of I-69.svgUS 278.svg I-69  / US 278
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Arkansas City, Arkansas and Benoit, Mississippi
Other name(s)Great River Bridge
Characteristics
Design Cable-stayed bridge
Longest span1,500 feet (457 m)
Clearance below 85 feet (26 m)
Location
Charles W. Dean Bridge

The Charles W. Dean Bridge, known before 1999 as the Great River Bridge, is a planned cable-stayed bridge to carry Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 278 across the Mississippi River between Arkansas City, Arkansas and Benoit, Mississippi. The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department began land acquisition for the project in October 2006, but no funding has been provided for construction.

Contents

Preliminary studies indicate the bridge, which is part of I-69 SIU 12, would be 4.25 miles (6.84 km) long, with one 1,500-foot (460 m) cable-stayed span over the main channel of the river supported by two 450-foot (140 m) towers. A cost of $565 million has been estimated.

The structure's name commemorates Charles W. Dean (1927–1998), an engineer from Cleveland, Mississippi who proposed the bridge in 1984. A Mississippi legislative act named the proposed bridge after Dean in 1999.

History and development

The Great River Bridge was originally proposed by Mississippi engineer Charles W. Dean in 1984. Originally part of the planned relocation of US-278 through the lower Mississippi Delta, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the environmental impact statement (EIS) and issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the bridge in 2004. [1]

It has been determined that the Charles W. Dean Bridge will also carry Interstate 69, following FHWA approvals for sections of I-69 in Arkansas in 2006 and Mississippi in 2010 that will connect to either end of the bridge.

Project status

The Charles W. Dean Bridge project has cleared all of its environmental and permitting reviews, and is considered "shovel ready," pending the availability of funds for construction. As of 2009, the bridge has been approved by Congress for funding, but has not actually been funded yet. The state of Arkansas began to purchase land for the bridge starting in October, 2006. In its 2011-2013 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan, the AHTD stated intentions to begin construction of the Arkansas approach roadways and structures in 2011, subject to funding. Construction of the bridge and the remaining connections is contingent upon funding. No construction has taken place on the bridge or its approaches, and only limited enhancements have been made to the I-69 corridor in Arkansas. Additionally, there have been minimal developments in extending I-69 in Mississippi.

In 2017, the status of the bridge was brought to Congress's attention, and plans were floated to make the bridge an active project.

As of 2024, the entire I-69 project in Arkansas is mostly on hold (except for a small piece near Monticello, Arkansas) as well as the extending Mississippi section being on hold due to lack of funding. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 49</span> Interstate Highway in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri

Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line, three newer sections in Arkansas, and a new section that opened in Missouri. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at I-10 while its northern terminus is in Kansas City, Missouri, at I-435 and I-470. Portions of the remaining roadway in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, which will link Kansas City with New Orleans, are in various stages of planning or construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69</span> Interstate Highway from Texas to Michigan

Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at 355.8 miles (572.6 km). The remaining separated segments are variously completed and posted or not posted sections of an extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas. Of this extension—nicknamed the NAFTA Superhighway because it would help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—seven pieces in Laredo, Texas; Pharr, Texas; Brownsville, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas; Houston, Texas; northwestern Mississippi; and Memphis, Tennessee, have been built or upgraded and signposted as I-69. Indiana is currently working on a fifth segment that will extend I-69 through the entire state while a sixth segment of I-69 through Kentucky utilizing that state's existing parkway system and a section of I-24 was established by federal legislation in 2008 with several more parkway segments being upgraded since then. This brings the total length to about 880 miles (1,420 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 278</span> Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 278 is a parallel route of US 78. It currently runs for 1,074 miles (1,728 km) from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wickes, Arkansas at US 71/US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route include the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in eastern Mississippi. There are several universities located along the highway including Georgia State University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 14</span> Interstate Highway in Coryell and Bell counties in Texas, United States

Interstate 14 (I-14), also known as the 14th Amendment Highway, the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway, and the Central Texas Corridor, is an Interstate Highway that is currently located entirely in Central Texas, following US Highway 190 (US 190). The portion of the route that has been constructed and signed to date, the Central Texas Corridor along US 190 west of I-35 was officially designated as I-14 by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, signed by President Barack Obama on December 14, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenville Bridge</span> Bridge in United States of America

The Greenville Bridge, or the Jesse Brent Memorial Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River, in the United States, carrying US 82 and US 278 between Refuge, Mississippi, and Shives, Arkansas. When it opened in 2010, it was the fourth-longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernando de Soto Bridge</span> Steel-arch bridge between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, US

The Hernando de Soto Bridge is a tied-arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The design is a continuous cantilevered cable-stayed steel through arch, with bedstead endposts. Memphians also call the bridge the "New Bridge", as it is newer than the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge downstream, and the "M Bridge", due to its distinctive shape. It is of similar construction to the Sherman Minton Bridge between Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 66 (Kansas–Kentucky)</span> Canceled highway in the United States

Interstate 66 (I-66) is a canceled Interstate Highway designated in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 as the East–West TransAmerica Corridor and High Priority Corridor 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Shreveport</span>

Shreveport is the third largest city and the principal city of the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as well as being the 109th largest city in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 55 in Tennessee</span> Interstate Highway in Tennessee, United States

Interstate 55 (I-55) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 964.25 miles (1,551.81 km) from LaPlace, Louisiana, to Chicago, Illinois. In the State of Tennessee, the Interstate is located entirely within the state's second-largest city of Memphis, running 12.28 miles (19.76 km) from the Mississippi state line in the Whitehaven neighborhood to the Arkansas border across the Mississippi River. Of the six states that the Interstate passes through, the segment in Tennessee is the shortest, as well as the shortest mainline Interstate segment in Tennessee. I-55 serves a number of neighborhoods and industrial areas in the southwestern portion of Memphis, and also provides access to the Memphis International Airport, the second-busiest cargo airport in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Indiana</span> Highway in Indiana

Interstate 69 (I-69) currently has two discontinuous segments of freeway in the US state of Indiana. The original 157.8-mile-long (254.0 km) highway, completed in November 1971, runs northeasterly from the state capital of Indianapolis, to the city of Fort Wayne, and then proceeds north to the state of Michigan. This original segment is also known as segment of independent utility 1 (SIU 1) in the national plan for expansion of I-69.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Mississippi</span> Highway in Mississippi

The proposed Interstate 69 (I-69) extension from Indianapolis southwest to Texas currently has a short piece completed in the US state of Mississippi, south of Memphis, Tennessee. The south end is an at-grade intersection with the former route of Mississippi Highway 304 (MS 304) near Tunica Resorts, where MS 713 continues west to U.S. Highway 61 (US 61), and the route continues north to the Mississippi state line. Much of the route overlaps MS 304, which intersects US 61 farther north than MS 713. MS 304 continues east from I-55, connecting to State Route 385 (SR 385) in Tennessee, forming part of the I-269 Memphis outer beltway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Tennessee</span> Highway in Tennessee

Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed US Interstate Highway that will pass through the western part of the US state of Tennessee, serving the cities of Union City, Dyersburg, and Memphis. Currently, a 21-mile (34 km) section of already-existing freeway in Memphis has been approved for the I-69 designation while another segment near Union City will open on February 21, 2024 under the temporary designation of Tennessee State Route 690. However, state officials have stated that they will not commit to finishing the interstate in their state until they receive more federal funding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Kentucky</span> Highway in Kentucky

Interstate 69 (I-69) in the US state of Kentucky is a 148.1-mile-long (238.3 km) freeway running from Fulton to Henderson. The route makes use of most of the Purchase Parkway and existing portions of I-24, the Western Kentucky Parkway, and the Pennyrile Parkway. Eventually, I-69 will leave the former Pennyrile Parkway just south of the Audubon Parkway interchange or remain on its current alignment and travel through Henderson on U.S. Route 41 (US 41) north into Indiana. The proposed route for the remainder of I-69 in Kentucky travels about 10 miles (16 km) to utilize an as-of-yet-unbuilt bridge into Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Arkansas</span> Highway in Arkansas

Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed Interstate Highway that will pass through the southeastern part of the US state of Arkansas. Signs indicating the corridor of the Interstate have been placed at various highways throughout the state. The only section of Future I-69 that is currently open to traffic is the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) eastern leg of the Monticello Bypass. This section of the Monticello Bypass is currently two lanes and signed as US Highway 278 Bypass. As of March 2023, a second section between the eastern end of the Monticello Bypass and Arkansas Highway 293 (AR 293) is under construction and will be temporarily designated as Arkansas Highway 569 (AR 569) upon opening, until the remainder of I-69 through Arkansas is completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Texas</span> Interstate Highway in Texas

Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway that is in the process of being built in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of a longer I-69 extension known as the NAFTA superhighway, that, when completed, will connect Canada to Mexico. In Texas, it will connect Tenaha and the Louisiana segment of the route through the eastern part of the state and along the Texas Gulf Coast to Victoria, where it will split into three branches: I-69E to Brownsville, I-69C to Pharr, and I-69W to Laredo. The first segment of I-69 in Texas was opened in 2011 near Corpus Christi. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved an additional 58 miles (93 km) of U.S. Highway 77 (US 77) from Brownsville to the Willacy–Kenedy county line for designation as I-69, which was to be signed as I-69E upon concurrence from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). FHWA approval for this segment was announced on May 29, 2013. By March 2015, a 74.9-mile (120.5 km) section of US 59 had been completed and designated as I-69 through Greater Houston. As of 2024, short segments near the southern terminuses of the three branch routes have also all been completed. These branches are planned to be connected to the rest of the Interstate Highway System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 49 in Louisiana</span> Highway in Louisiana

Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway that spans 244.021 miles (392.714 km) in a north–south direction in the US state of Louisiana. It runs from I-10 in Lafayette to the Arkansas state line north of Shreveport, largely paralleling the older US Highway 71 (US 71) corridor, and connects the state's two east–west Interstates at two of its metropolitan centers. Along the way, it serves the cities of Opelousas, Alexandria, and Natchitoches, intersecting several cross-state highways, such as I-20, US 190, US 167, US 165, and US 84.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 278 in Arkansas</span> US Highway section within the state of Arkansas

U.S. Highway 278 (US 278) runs west-east across the southern half of Arkansas for 258.8 miles (416.5 km). US 278 originates at a junction with U.S. Routes 59 and 71 in the town of Wickes and exits into Mississippi on the Greenville Bridge over the Mississippi River northeast of Shives, running concurrently with US 82.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69E</span> Interstate Highway in South Texas

Interstate 69E (I-69E) is a north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas. Once complete, the freeway will begin in Brownsville and head northward before terminating near Victoria as both I-69W and I-69E merge into I-69 toward Houston. For its entire length, I-69E runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 77 (US 77). The route currently exists in two segments: a 56.894-mile (91.562 km) segment from its southern terminus in Brownsville to the Willacy–Kenedy county line and a shorter 7.672-mile (12.347 km) segment south of Corpus Christi. The route has one auxiliary Interstate route, I-169 in Brownsville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69W</span> Interstate Highway in South Texas

Interstate 69W (I-69W) is a relatively short north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas in the United States. The freeway begins northeast of the middle of World Trade International Bridge in Laredo and ends at I-35. In the future, I-69W will head northeast for 180 miles (290 km) before terminating near Victoria as both I-69E and I-69W merge to form I-69. For its entire length, I-69W runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 59 (US 59).

References

  1. "I-69 Robinsonville to Benoit". Mississippi Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2007.
  2. "Westerman hears ARDoT pitch for federal funding | Eldorado News". www.eldoradonews.com. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2024-01-18.