The Arkansas Department of Transportation has received a $43.9 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation for rehabilitation of the U.S. Highway 49 Mississippi River Bridge at Helena-West Helena.

The project is a collaborative effort between ARDOT , the lead grant applicant, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation, a co-applicant, for the rehabilitation of the Helena Bridge. The funds come from the DOT’s Bridge Investment Program.

The Helena Bridge is a critical Mississippi River crossing of local, national and international importance, according to DOT. This Mississippi River crossing is nearly one mile long and is currently rated as being in “poor” condition.

The Helena Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural and general repairs to bring the bridge into a state of good repair. The project also will increase the load rating of the bridge and give it a service life of 20 to 25 years. That extended service life would allow ARDOT and MDOT to monitor existing regional transportation needs and plan for future capacity needs, paving the way for a new Mississippi River crossing that would respond to the unique conditions of the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

A letter of support for the grant application was signed by Senator John Boozman, Senator Tom Cotton and Congressman Rick Crawford.

“The Helena Bridge on U.S. Highway 49 crosses the Mississippi River and is a critical piece of our nation’s infrastructure,” Crawford wrote. “The bridge connects the eastern part of Arkansas to Mississippi, where US-49 ultimately ends near the Port of Gulfport. Without the Helena Bridge, producers and shippers would have to find alternative ways to move agriculture and other manufactured goods between these states and to and from the port. This investment will allow for structural repairs and will establish a monitoring system to prevent it from becoming unusable in the future.”