Jimmy Mann Evans Memorial Bridge
Coordinates35°52′04″N 87°56′36″W / 35.86791°N 87.94320°W / 35.86791; -87.94320
Carries4 lanes of I-40
CrossesKentucky Lake, part of the Tennessee River
LocaleHumphreys and Benton counties, Tennessee
Characteristics
DesignGirder bridge
Total length0.5 mi (0.80 km)
Width89 ft (27 m)
History
Construction startNovember 29, 1962
Construction endJuly 21, 1965
Statistics
Daily traffic33,317 (2018)[1]
Location

The Jimmy Mann Evans Memorial Bridge is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km), steel stringer, multibeam bridge which carries Interstate 40 (I-40) across Kentucky Lake, part of the Tennessee River, in the western part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The bridge also spans the boundaries between Benton and Humphreys counties and the western and middle parts of the state.

Description

High-altitude view of the Tennessee River looking north, with the Jimmy Mann Evans Memorial Bridge in the bottom left

The Jimmy Mann Evans Memorial Bridge carries four lanes of I-40 on a single span across the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. This is the historical boundary between Middle and West Tennessee, as defined in the Tennessee State Constitution. West of the bridge is a causeway above a floodplain created by Kentucky Dam.[2]

History

Construction began on the bridge on November 29, 1962. The bridge was the largest project on I-40 between Memphis and Nashville. The bridge was completed on July 21, 1965. The entire project cost $4.62 million (equivalent to $32.9 million in 2022[3]).[2] The segment of I-40 between Memphis and Nashville, the first section of interstate completed between two major cities in Tennessee, was dedicated on July 24, 1966, in a ceremony officiated by then-governor Frank G. Clement and U.S. Senator Albert Gore Sr. on the bridge.[4] The bridge was renovated in 1992 and named after Jimmy Mann Evans who served as president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association and as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) from 1987 until his death in 1992.[5]

The murder of Holly Bobo reportedly took place underneath the bridge in April 2011.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Traffic History". ArcGIS. Esri. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Tennessee Interstate: 1,049 Miles of Modern Highways to Serve the Motoring Public (PDF) (Pamphlet). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 1966. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2019. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  4. ↑ Aden, Tom (July 24, 1966). "New Interstate Link Alters a Few Things". The Jackson Sun. Associated Press. p. 7. Retrieved April 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Experiencing the Issues from Both Sides" (PDF). Tennessee Road Builder. 17 (5): 16. September 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Jason Autry testifies all day, explains how Zach Adams killed Holly Bobo". WMC-TV. Memphis, Tennessee. September 14, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2019.


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