Hernando de Soto Bridge
Hernando de Soto Bridge | |
|---|---|
Hernando de Soto Bridge photographed from the Memphis Pyramid | |
| Coordinates | 35°09′10″N 90°03′50″W / 35.15278°N 90.06389°W |
| Carries | 6 lanes of I-40 |
| Crosses | Mississippi River |
| Locale | Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas |
| Other name(s) | The M Bridge, Memphis Bridge, Mississippi Bridge, New Bridge |
| Maintained by | TDOT and ARDOT |
| ID number | 79I00400001 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | tied arch, through arch |
| Material | Steel |
| Pier construction | Concrete |
| Total length | 9,432.6 feet (2,875 m) |
| Width | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Longest span | 900 feet (274 m) |
| Clearance below | 109 feet (33 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | May 2, 1967 |
| Opened | August 2, 1973 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 37,308 (2018) |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Hernando de Soto Bridge | |
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 (carrying Interstate 55) downstream, and the "M Bridge", due to its distinctive double-arch shape. It is of similar construction to the Sherman Minton Bridge between Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana (except that it consists of a single level deck).