Kiewit Lands $794M I-55 Bridge Replacement, Biggest in Tennessee History

Wedoany.com Report-Mar 19, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has picked Kiewit Infrastructure South to be construction manager for the $794m project to replace the 75-year-old I-55 Bridge over the Mississippi River near Memphis.

Deemed a nationally significant corridor for people and commerce, the I-55 Bridge is too narrow and needs replacing to meet modern seismic codes

Opened in 1949, the bridge is deemed a nationally significant corridor for people and commerce, especially for the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi。

But it’s too narrow for growing traffic, and TDOT wants it replaced to meet modern seismic codes – the bridge sits on the New Madrid fault line – and to cut maintenance costs and prevent a major, forced rehabilitation in the future.

Twice as wide

Now, the bridge’s road deck is just under 65 feet wide, with two 11-foot-long lanes in either direction and hardly any shoulder.

The new bridge will be twice as wide, providing more than twice the lane capacity.

In each direction, it will have two 12-foot lanes, a 12-foot auxiliary lane, and two 12-foot shoulders.

Biggest investment

Funding is in place. In July 2024, the US Department of Transportation granted TDOT $394m to cover half the cost, and TDOT and its counterpart across the river in Arkansas, ARDOT, have each committed up to $200m to the project, making it the single-biggest transportation investment in Tennessee state history.

Parsons Transportation Group was selected to provide engineering and design in October last year.

“This project is building a stronger future for Tennessee,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley, adding: “We look forward to its positive impact on our state and country for decades to come.”

ARDOT Director Jared Wiley said the region needed “a modern structure on a corridor that conveys many critical goods and services through the heart of our nation each day”.

Alternative delivery method

Kiewit said the environmental process was wrapping up, design was underway, and right-of-way coordination should begin later this year.

Construction is estimated to start in fiscal year 2026.

Kiewit is retained as Construction Manager/General Contractor, or CM/GC, an alternative delivery method the company said suited complex projects.