MEMPHIS, Tenn. - All lanes of the I-55 Mississippi River Bridge will close next weekend, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT).

ARDOT said the bridge will be closed Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16, to allow crews to perform bridge joint repairs. Those "finger joints" are large bridge joints comprised of metal interlacing "fingers" that allow for expansion and contraction needed for longer bridges.

All lanes shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Southbound traffic is expected to resume at 8 p.m. on Sunday, but northbound traffic won't reopen until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, according to ARDOT.

Detour signs will be in place, and traffic officials encourage drivers to use the I-40 Mississippi Bridge as an alternate route between Memphis and Arkan

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