Barge traffic has been suspended on the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis Arkansas following damage to the Hernando De Soto Bridge. That significant fracture of the bridge indefinitely close traffic there. Waterways Council Senior Vice President Deb Calhoun says they’re still compiling what economic damage there is from this incident and how negatively exports are being impacted.

She says that bridge needs to be fixed as soon as possible to get exports flowing again as the stoppage has effected 630 barges and over 40 boats.

Calhoun says this incident points to the need of passage of an infrastructure bill that provides more funding for bridge repair and upkeep.

Calhoun says eventually policy makers need to consider getting more commodities transported on inland waterways where it’s less expensive and also relieves wear and tear of roads and bridges by lessening truck traffic.

Calhoun says within Memphis, 430,000 tons of commodities pass through that area per day which translates to 150 million tons per year.