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Project Summary: The New Bridge

With more than 2-1/2 miles of bridge deck, two concrete towers soaring 425 feet (130m) feet above the Mississippi River, concrete piers anchored 120 feet (36m) into the riverbed and four fans of prestressing strand steel cable, the new US 82 bridge at Greenville, Mississippi, is a spectacular crossing over America’s most storied river.

The distinctions don’t stop at appearance. The bridge’s main span of 1378 feet/420 meters is also the fourth longest cable stayed span in North America, and one of the longest bridge spans of any type on the Mississippi River.

Among the project’s other features:

  • The new bridge has three spans, of 591/1378/591 feet (180/420/180 meters)
  • The Mississippi approach to the bridge will include 2970 feet (905m) of new roadway and 6406 feet (1952m) of approach bridge.
  • The Arkansas approach to the bridge will include 3752 feet (1143m) of roadway and 4602 feet (1402m) of approach bridge.
  • The total length of the project (bridge, approaches and new roadway) is 20,290 feet (6182m) or 3.84 miles.
  • The new bridge is located some 2800 feet downstream from the existing bridge, greatly decreasing the likelihood of barge collisions.
  • When opened to traffic in 2009, the new bridge will carry four lanes of traffic (two in each direction). Each lane will be 12 feet wide; the bridge will have a 12-foot outside shoulder and an 8-foot inside shoulder. (Compare with two 12-foot lanes and no shoulders for the old bridge.)


As steel through-truss bridges were the preferred design when the first Greenville Bridge was constructed, the cable stayed bridge is a popular choice today. Many of the newest bridges in the country and along the Mississippi River are cable stayed designs. Steel truss bridges and cable stayed bridges both represent the best technology and the best economy of their times.

The New Greenville Bridge is designed by HNTB (Howard Needles Tammen and Bergendoff) of Kansas City, the same firm that designed the original Greenville Bridge.