Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge, Cantilever bridge in Lake Village, United States
Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge was a cantilever bridge connecting Lake Village, Arkansas to Greenville, Mississippi, spanning nearly 2 miles across the Mississippi River. The structure featured two lanes but lacked shoulders and modern safety features for the volume of traffic it carried.
The Works Progress Administration funded construction during the Great Depression, and it opened in 1940 as the first bridge connecting these two communities. This project replaced earlier, less reliable crossing methods and transformed regional connectivity.
The bridge was named after Benjamin G. Humphreys II, a U.S. Congressman from Mississippi's Greenville district. It served as a symbol of connection between two communities separated by the river for decades.
The site sits at a sharp river bend, which limited visibility and made it difficult for large vehicles and barges to maneuver. Visitors should know the bridge closed in 2010 and is no longer passable for traffic.
The main span measured about 840 feet and held the record as the longest highway bridge span on the Mississippi River from 1940 to 1943. After a safer bridge was built downstream, it lost this distinction but remains notable for its engineering achievement.
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