Hernando de Soto Bridge, Road bridge over Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas.
Hernando de Soto Bridge crosses the Mississippi River between Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas as a major road link. The structure uses a steel through-arch design with cable-stayed supports to span the river.
Construction began in 1967 and finished in 1973, with the project facing significant financial growth during its development. The bridge carries the name of a Spanish explorer who reached the Mississippi River in the 1500s.
The bridge commemorates Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who conducted expeditions along the Mississippi River during the sixteenth century.
The bridge carries Interstate 40 traffic and provides vehicles with a safe crossing of the wide river. Pedestrians and cyclists should note this is a highway and there is no separate pedestrian path.
Since 2018, an LED lighting system illuminates the steel arches with changing colors, making the bridge particularly striking at night. This modern lighting system replaced earlier sodium vapor lamps.
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