The Mississippi River would often change paths before the great river was tamed by the US Army Corps of Engineering. Once such change in the 1930s suddenly left the river city of Greenville, Mississippi, about 7 miles from the river. Following that event, the City of Natchez started working on a new river bridge. A bit of political maneuvering found the same set of blueprints being used to build a new river bridge over the new river channel just west of Greenville.

The Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge opened late in 1940. It soon became apparent that the bridge was a navigation hazard. It turns out that there is a very swift cross-current where the bridge is located. Riverboat operators have to round a sharp bend, then aim for one of the bridge piers, with the current pushing the head of the barge tow away from the pier at the last second. This is something that only highly experienced river pilots can attempt, and it is something that has gone wrong with deadly consequences a number of times. Replacing the bridge became more of a matter of safety than a structural issue.

The Humphreys Bridge was the scene of a 1951 airplane crash. A jet pilot from nearby Greenville Air Force Base attempted to fly under the bridge. He missed. The aircraft was a total loss, the pilot was fatally injured, and the bridge suffered $175,000 in damage.

An interesting design feature of the bridge are the arms that extend from the upriver side of the bridge. They carry electrical and communications lines across the river. Normally, those lines would be buried in trenches in the riverbed. But due to the fast current, the lines were repeatedly uncovered and snagged by anchor lines. The revenue from leasing space for these utilities allowed the toll to be removed from the bridge in 1950.

Another interesting fact about this bridge is that it is almost entirely in Arkansas, including most of the east approach to the bridge. The state line between Arkansas and Mississippi was established to be the center of the main channel of the river. Over the years, the river has changed course several times in this area. At the bridge site, the river has scoured a channel that moved west several thousand feet. As a result, both ends of the bridge are in Arkansas, and only the easternmost piers of the approach road are located in Mississippi. This is the only bridge on the lower Mississippi River where the state line boundary does not follow the current main river channel. The new cable stayed bridge being built just downstream of this bridge will have the same geographical quirk.

Ben Humphreys was a member of the US House of Representatives, elected in 1902. He fought for flood control on the lower Mississippi, a fight that was largely in vein until after the massive flood of 1912. He is regarded as the father of flood control in the delta region.

Update—the new Greenville Bridge is now planned to open on July 28, 2010. The Benjamin Humphreys Bridge is planned to be dismantled and removed beginning shortly after the new bridge opens.

The photo above is the downriver face of the Humphreys Bridge as seen from the riverbank on the west side of the Mississippi River. The far shore is the state of Mississippi. The photo below is the upriver face of the bridge as seen from a side road on the Arkansas side of the great river.

The photo above is the truss superstructure as seen from a parking area located under the bridge on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. This parking area is being used by the crew building the new cable stay bridge just downriver. The photo below is looking west from the same location at the approach span heading into Arkansas.

The photo above is looking southeast from a boat ramp located upstream of the Arkansas side of the bridge. The photo below is the first photo of a three photo set showing a typical river crossing heading westbound towards Arkansas. This photo is a view traveling on the relatively level section of the approach spans on the far east end of the structure.

These two photos are the final two photos of a three photo set showing a typical bridge crossing heading westbound into Arkansas. The photo above is the transition between the relatively level approach spans to the ramp heading up to the truss spans. Note that this photo shows that the truss spans are absolutely level. The photo above is entering the east portal of the truss spans. Note the power lines attached to the north side of the truss.