Barge traffic is now open again on the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis Arkansas following repair to damage to the Hernando De Soto I-40 Bridge. There are 62 vessels in line with a total of over 1,000 barges in the queue. Officials are hoping for full re-opening in two days. Waterways Council Senior Vice President Deb Calhoun says they’re still compiling what economic damage there is from this incident.
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.
