MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A traffic jam caused huge headaches on Mud Island during the morning commute after the city closed the A.W. Willis bridge to make repairs.
The shutdown is scheduled to last for a week, forcing cars to filter out of the north end.
“It’s just crazy in the morning!” said Mud Island resident Sabrin Albeituni.
City crews developed a detour through North Mud Island Road and onto Second Street. That detour created a traffic jam.
“It used to take like three minutes for me to reach St. Jude, but it’s just like a half hour now,” said Albeituni.
Some drivers even said their commute from their home to downtown took about an hour.
“I work over here all the time. Never seen this much traffic,” said one driver.
The city called in MPD to try to help the problem. Two officers and four PSTs directed traffic for a couple of hours.
Police said they’ll be back Wednesday evening and during rush hour Thursday and Friday.
MPD is also asking people to get off Second Street when you can. They said drivers should map their commute out and turn on a side street.
The good news: the city said crews are on track to finish work by the end of the week.
“I think it’s worth it because then the car will not shake every time I go home,” said Albeituni.