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TN: I-40/I-240 (E) Memphis: I-40 flyovers open

Started by MikeTheActuary, September 12, 2015, 11:50:23 PM

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MikeTheActuary

I didn't see a thread or this update, so....

As most of you are aware, TDOT has been busy for some time now, making a mess on the east side of Memphis fixing the mess the cancellation of I-40 made of the eastern I-40/I-240 interchange.

The new flyovers carrying I-40 have opened.  The westbound flyover opened today (Saturday, 12 September), while the eastbound flyover opened a few weeks ago.

The nastiest of the construction is now apparently shifting to the I-40 bridge across the Wolf River.



MikeTheActuary

I'm back in Memphis this week.  The big highway news locally is that in a few minutes, they will shut down westbound I-40 just east of the eastern I-40/I-240 interchange, erecting a new gantry, and open a few lanes that have been closed due to construction will be open.

They'll have thirteen lanes of traffic open across the Wolf River just in time for the Thanksgiving travel rush.

US71

So they finally fixed that stub from WB 40 to SB 240?
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Plutonic Panda

#3
I'm not sure when Google Maps updated the imagery on this but I just checked it out and it looks good! I'll need to find a reason to head out east sometime as an excuse to see some of these projects soon(hard to though with my depression over this girl ugghh)... but anyways, are there any plans to fix the section of I-40 west of this interchange It badly needs it. What are the chances a direct west connection is made? Given they invested in these ramps, slim to none. I'm not too familiar with Memphis, how much wealth is in the area that would be affected? Furthermore, it would be nice to see a tunnel proposal one day. It would be relatively short, just to connect with Sam Cooper BLVD.(which I've never even been on).

If a tunnel proposal is never happening, then an at grade freeway going through the neighborhoods and park could be sold and Danny Thomas BLVD. turned back into an at grade urban street to pease the urbanists.

Wayward Memphian

#4
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 16, 2017, 03:04:22 AM
I'm not sure when Google Maps updated the imagery on this but I just checked it out and it looks good! I'll need to find a reason to head out east sometime as an excuse to see some of these projects soon(hard to though with my depression over this girl ugghh)... but anyways, are there any plans to fix the section of I-40 west of this interchange It badly needs it. What are the chances a direct west connection is made? Given they invested in these ramps, slim to none. I'm not too familiar with Memphis, how much wealth is in the area that would be affected? Furthermore, it would be nice to see a tunnel proposal one day. It would be relatively short, just to connect with Sam Cooper BLVD.(which I've never even been on).


If a tunnel proposal is never happening, then an at grade freeway going through the neighborhoods and park could be sold and Danny Thomas BLVD. turned back into an at grade urban street to pease the urbanists.

Any interstate, in any form, going through the heart of Memphis is never, ever going to happen. Hindsight is 20/20 and Shelby Farms would have been a perfect relocation site for the Zoo as it is now right in the middle of the urban area but that ship sailed decades ago. If anything, light rail could have used path  but that is never going to happen either.

US71

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 16, 2017, 03:04:22 AM
I'm not sure when Google Maps updated the imagery on this but I just checked it out and it looks good! I'll need to find a reason to head out east sometime as an excuse to see some of these projects soon(hard to though with my depression over this girl ugghh)... but anyways, are there any plans to fix the section of I-40 west of this interchange It badly needs it. What are the chances a direct west connection is made? Given they invested in these ramps, slim to none. I'm not too familiar with Memphis, how much wealth is in the area that would be affected? Furthermore, it would be nice to see a tunnel proposal one day. It would be relatively short, just to connect with Sam Cooper BLVD.(which I've never even been on).


It's slightly wonky there. WB 40 has a new ramp, 240 has a new ramp, but to get to Summer Blvd (US 64/70/79) you go under the new ramps then take the old WB 40 ramp.

There are these cool LED road signs on WB 40 east of 240.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

rlb2024

Wayward Memphian is correct -- there will never be a direct I-40 connection through Memphis.  That battle was fought in the courts for 40 -- yes, 40 -- years before the state of Tennessee finally threw in the towel.

MikeTheActuary

Quote from: rlb2024 on December 16, 2017, 12:53:03 PM
Wayward Memphian is correct -- there will never be a direct I-40 connection through Memphis.  That battle was fought in the courts for 40 -- yes, 40 -- years before the state of Tennessee finally threw in the towel.

For the past few years, one of the big community battles has been that to "Save the Greensward" -- folks being upset at zoo overflow parking on what was originally intended to be an open field.

There's been a lot of effort invested in trying to turn around Binghampton, including the creation of an arts/entertainment district along Broad; and there were some very nice houses built the lots that were cleared for I-40 ROW west of the park.

And, lest we forget, there was a significant amount of effort in adjusting the western I-40/I-69/I-240 to upgrade the interchange away from its original configuration permitting eastward construction, and the City of Memphis is trying to become more bike/pedestrian friendly.

I think the concept of I-40 going through Memphis is pretty much done.

(My father worked at the Memphis/Shelby County planning department, and my mother worked at the zoo at the tail end of the I-40 vs Overton Park saga.  There were some...tense dinner discussions back in the day.)

Bobby5280

If anything, more of Sam Cooper Blvd could be coverted back into a divided surface street with some of the space used by the freeway re-purposed into beautfication efforts, bike paths, etc. I would even throw out a suggestion of some kind of light rail or surface street trolley, but I'm not sure Memphis has the population or money to make such a thing profitable. Any kind of commuter rail effort costs way too much these days.

There's no feasible way to push I-40 through Central Memphis using Sam Cooper Blvd. Tunneling is just too expensive for any benefit of time savings to be worth it. I-40 shares the Northern part of the I-240 loop, and that's only 3 miles North of Sam Cooper Blvd. They would be looking at spending billions of dollars to save long distance I-40 traffic maybe 10 minutes of driving time at the most. That kind of money would be better spent upgrading the I-55 and I-40 Mississippi River bridges.

Speaking of I-22, that's one freeway I'd like to see extended into Memphis to I-240. That's certainly a lot more do-able than extending I-40 through the middle of Memphis. Planned projects will have the US-78 freeway extending up to Getwell Road. It's just under 2 miles from there to I-240. A lot of the property in that area is industrial. There's a decent number of vacant lots and run down properties. It's possible for TDOT to slowly acquire ROW and inch the freeway closer to I-240. The only downside of finishing I-22 to I-240 is it would put more traffic on that narrow 4 lane I-55 bridge over the river.

I also think it's possible to use I-22 to create another major access point to Memphis International Airport and the giant FedEx air hub. That would complement the airport's main access point along Plough Blvd.

Road Hog

I'd like to see a northern bypass of Memphis as well with a bridge extending I-22 over the river to the junction with I-555. That would set up a future extension of I-22 to Jonesboro and beyond.



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