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Regional Boards => Mid-South => Topic started by: Grzrd on April 22, 2015, 04:01:43 PM

Title: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 22, 2015, 04:01:43 PM
http://direction2040.com/library/Draft_Chapter_08%20(Implementation%20Plan).pdf
Draft timetable for Lamar Corridor:
2020 - Holmes Road interchange and widen to 6 lanes from Stateline Road to Shelby Drive.
2030 - Interchanges at Winchester Road and Stateline Road, widen to 6 lanes from Raines Rd. to Getwell Rd. and from Shelby Dr. to Raines Rd.
2040 - Interchange at Shelby Drive
(above quote from Interstate 22 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg130576#msg130576) thread)
Due to uncertainties associated with federal funding, TDOT Commissioner Schroer has delayed several projects, including construction of the I-55/Crump Boulevard interchange and ROW acquisition on the Lamar Corridor.  Here is a list of the projects delayed from FY 2015 to FY 2106 (http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/documents/funding/Statusof13ShiftedProjects-10-30-14.pdf) and a letter from Schroer to the Tennessee General Assembly (http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/documents/funding/HwyTrustFundandDelayedProjectsLetterOct%2024-2014.pdf) explaining his decision.
It looks like projects in Tennessee will continue to be delayed until the U.S. Congress enacts the next multi-year reauthorization.
(above quote from Tennessee (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=99.msg2018016#msg2018016) thread)

The April 19 Commercial Appeal (behind paywall) (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/city-hall/funding-shift-allows-for-rightofway-purchases-for-critical-lamar-avenue-project_26657451) reports that the city of Memphis has reallocated some funds to allow for the purchase of ROW along Lamar Avenue to begin:

Quote
By moving some money around, local and state transportation officials have revived a stalled, $250 million-plus project to improve chronically congested Lamar Avenue on the southeastern edge of Memphis
The city of Memphis has agreed to shift $2.7 million that had been set aside for a proposed interchange renovation at Perkins and Winchester to the Lamar project. The money will go toward the purchase of right of way for the first phase of improvements, extending from the Mississippi state line to near Shelby Drive.
The reallocation of the funds was endorsed this month by a committee of the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation, facing long-term funding shortages for highway improvements across the state, had asked local governments to contribute money for right of way acquisitions for “large-scale, regionally significant projects,”  said Kate Horton, transportation planner with MPO. The new money for Lamar allows officials to “move that project along”  and start buying land in fiscal 2016, she said.
TDOT late last year announced delays for Lamar and more than 30 other projects, citing shortfalls in federal support for highway work.
City Engineer John Cameron said the project to redo the Perkins-Winchester interchange will be pushed back to 2017.
The funding shift reflects the high priority assigned to the Lamar project. A critical route serving Memphis’ warehouse and distribution operations, including BNSF Railway’s sprawling intermodal facility, Lamar is clogged almost daily with trucks that back up at the numerous traffic signals. During 2013, an average of nearly 37,000 vehicles a day traveled the route, according to TDOT figures.
The improvement project aims to reduce that congestion by replacing several signals with grade-separated interchanges between Getwell and the Mississippi line. But because the property along the corridor is heavily developed, the projected cost of acquiring right of way ($165.2 million) far exceeds the anticipated bill for construction ($88.1 million).
Officials haven’t released a timetable for completion of the overall improvement work.
“It’s a huge project,”  Cameron said.
Improving Lamar long has been a top goal of the Greater Memphis Chamber.
It’s such a vital part of our logistics corridor. Millions of square feet of warehouse, distribution and manufacturing space are in that corridor ...,”  said Andre Dean, vice president of public policy and community affairs for the chamber ....
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: The Ghostbuster on April 22, 2015, 06:15:31 PM
Will these improvements allow Interstate 22 to be extended into Tennessee?
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 22, 2015, 07:59:51 PM
Will these improvements allow Interstate 22 to be extended into Tennessee?

This post (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg113778#msg113778) discusses a Cambridge Systematics study and the respective cost-benefit ratios of full-interstate and other upgrade options for the Lamar Corridor. Here is a link to the study:

http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/documents/LamarAvenueCorridor_June2011.pdf

As I understand it, TDOT has elected to build selected interchanges and widen Lamar to six lanes, with several at-grades remaining.  That said, this post (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg165705;topicseen#msg165705) discusses how, in 2012, Commissioner Schroer spoke of the cost of the Lamar Corridor upgrade in terms that fit a full-interstate upgrade.  I suppose it is possible that TDOT has chosen an interim solution that would allow for a later upgrade to an interstate, but I do not believe that an interstate upgrade would be likely in either the near term or the mid term, and that an interstate upgrade in the long term would be a remote possibility (which is a primary reason why I started this thread instead of continuing to post Lamar developments in the Interstate 22 thread).
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on May 17, 2015, 03:01:12 PM
Recent article discusses Cambridge Systematics study of upgrade options for Lamar Avenue.  Three primary options (with estimated cost) are as follows: (1) build interchanges at Holmes and Winchester Roads and Shelby Drive, leaving Lamar at 4 lanes ($213.2 million), (2) build interchanges at Holmes and Winchester Roads and Shelby Drive, expanding Lamar to 6 lanes ($275.1 million), and (3) fully upgrade Lamar to I-22 ($637.9 million).  Here is link:
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/aug/26/unlocking-lamar-planners-mull-ways-to-improve-transportation-corridor/
(above quote from Interstate 22 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg113778;topicseen#msg113778) thread)
Here is a link to the Cambridge Systematics/TDOT study of the Lamar Corridor:
http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/documents/LamarAvenueCorridor_June2011.pdf
(above quote from Interstate 22 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg114551#msg114551) thread)

This May 12, 2015 USDOT press release (http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-visits-local-officials-discuss-memphis%E2%80%99-proposed-2655) discusses the recent visit of U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to Memphis and estimates the total cost of the Lamar Avenue improvements to be $262.5 million:

Quote
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was joined by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton today at the Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to discuss the proposed Lamar Avenue project, designed to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion by widening SR 4/US 78, may not be completed for several years due to inadequate federal funding for Tennessee and other states ....
According to state estimates, the Lamar Avenue project — though currently unfunded — will cost $262.5 million. Once completed, it will improve safety and reduce traffic congestion on one of western Tennessee’s biggest commuter and freight corridors.
“With BNSF’s massive intermodal facility, numerous major warehouse distribution centers and office complexes that are accessed via US 78, it is a major commercial corridor for our City and the region,”  said Mayor Wharton. “The freight truck and commuter traffic is enormous and puts a serious strain on infrastructure. US 78 is in dire need of significant improvements that can only be accomplished with the aid of federal dollars ....

The May 12, 2015 Commercial Appeal (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/city-hall/foxx-cities-lamar-corridor-as-example-of-nations-transportation-crisis_84187649) also reported on Foxx's visit:

Quote
After hearing Memphis officials emphasize the importance of fixing the chronically congested Lamar Avenue corridor, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx spoke sympathetically Tuesday but offered no immediate help with the $253 million project.
“We have Lamar Avenues all across the country,”  Foxx told an audience of elected officials, agency leaders and business representatives at the Greater Memphis Chamber. As much as the project is needed, “we just don’t have the money to pay for it,”  he added ....
Foxx commented after local leaders spoke of the need for improvements along Lamar, also known as U.S. 78, particularly the congested stretch from Getwell south to the Mississippi state line. Served by logistics companies with annual sales totaling $4 billion, the route is clogged daily with trucks backed up at the numerous traffic signals along the route.
“While it’s the busiest corridor in the South-Southeast, it’s one that’s causing a lot of damage now,”  said Chamber chief executive Phil Trenary.
The project to enhance the corridor includes construction of grade-separated interchanges to replace the signaled intersections. But the enhancement plan is so costly – and funding so scarce – that the City of Memphis recently agreed to shuffle $2.7 million from a another project to pay for initial right of way acquisitions for the Lamar work.
Without the improvements, companies might decide to relocate, Trenary said.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Henry on May 18, 2015, 11:22:26 AM
Maybe it does make sense to end I-22 at I-269 instead of letting it peter out before crossing the state line. Then after the improvements are done, it's a wait-and-see situation.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: codyg1985 on May 19, 2015, 07:27:56 AM
I find it curious that they improvements end at Getwell Road. It might be since the six lane portion of Lamar Avenue ends there.

It may be a little easier to route a freeway along Getwell from there to I-240 instead of continuing along Lamar Avenue. The big issue with that, however, is the neighborhood that it runs through. While the ROW would probably be cheaper, it would probably face a lot of opposition.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on May 19, 2015, 12:25:17 PM
I find it curious that the improvements end at Getwell Road. It might be since the six lane portion of Lamar Avenue ends there.
It may be a little easier to route a freeway along Getwell from there to I-240 instead of continuing along Lamar Avenue. The big issue with that, however, is the neighborhood that it runs through. While the ROW would probably be cheaper, it would probably face a lot of opposition.

This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:

(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Henry on May 21, 2015, 01:27:23 PM
I find it curious that the improvements end at Getwell Road. It might be since the six lane portion of Lamar Avenue ends there.
It may be a little easier to route a freeway along Getwell from there to I-240 instead of continuing along Lamar Avenue. The big issue with that, however, is the neighborhood that it runs through. While the ROW would probably be cheaper, it would probably face a lot of opposition.

This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:

(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)
With these eye-popping figures, it could be a while before the improvements actually come, if at all. I'd be for making it an expressway with RIRO access at the side roads.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on May 21, 2015, 09:33:17 PM
It's not that easy, Henry.  Except in the vicinity of the Raines Rd/Perkins Rd interchange, there's no access control along Lamar.  Which means that adjacent businesses and property owners have direct driveway access onto Lamar Ave.  This is in no small part why the ROW costs are so high.

Even doing what you suggest would carry a high price tag as it would still require dealing with the driveway access.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: codyg1985 on May 22, 2015, 06:42:57 AM
It's not that easy, Henry.  Except in the vicinity of the Raines Rd/Perkins Rd interchange, there's no access control along Lamar.  Which means that adjacent businesses and property owners have direct driveway access onto Lamar Ave.  This is in no small part why the ROW costs are so high.

Even doing what you suggest would carry a high price tag as it would still require dealing with the driveway access.


One possible option would be to do a jersey barrier along the median, do RIRO, and then have some form of U-turns at the major intersections or interchanges, like US 1 between Trenton and Woodbridge. Of course, that isn't easy either, but it would be a cheaper solution than making the whole thing a freeway.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on August 27, 2015, 03:32:04 PM
This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:
(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)
With these eye-popping figures, it could be a while before the improvements actually come, if at all.

This August 25 TV video (http://wreg.com/2015/08/25/gov-bill-haslam-still-not-taking-stance-on-solution-to-fund-transportation-projects/), primarily reporting about Governor Haslam's "listening tour" across Tennessee to identify solutions to fund transportation projects, also indicates that the Lamar Avenue improvements are a focus for Haslam:

Quote
Gov. Bill Haslam is halfway through with meetings being held across the state to discuss ways to fund transportation projects ....
Raising the gas tax is just one of the solutions state leaders are considering to close a staggering gap between transportation needs in Tennessee and available funding.
“The state has about $6 billion worth of backlog projects,”  Haslam said.
In Haslam’s travels throughout the state, he has been holding meetings with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and local leaders about transportation funding.
Although he is about halfway through those meetings, Haslam is no closer to taking a stance on a solution.
“We haven’t proposed one thing yet, at all,”  he said. “We’ve said it’s really important the state understand the issue, and so we’re out around the state having that conversation to understand the issue.”  ....
One project Haslam has been focusing on is Lamar Avenue. He said the cost of fixing it is around $270 million.
His transportation meetings will continue across the state through next month.

The Governor's focus on the improvements may result in at least some of them occurring in the relatively near future.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on November 09, 2015, 09:31:32 PM
This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section
This TDOT press release (https://www.tn.gov/news/19387) announces the release, by Gov. Haslam, of two highway project lists: (a) currently backlogged projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/Backlog-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), and (b) new projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/New-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), as part of his public relations campaign to identify increased transportation funding in Tennessee:
Quote
Joined by Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer, Haslam also released two transportation projects lists: a list of 181 backlogged projects that will not be completed or at least under contract until 2034; and a list of 765 new project needs that cannot be considered until 2022 at the earliest, if ever.
(above quote from Tennessee (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=99.msg2104794#msg2104794) thread)

This article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/government/state/gov-haslam-pushes-for-road-plan-in-memphis-visit-240d41e0-81a8-1a60-e053-0100007ff9dd-344002722.html) reports that Gov. Haslam spoke at the Memphis Intermodal Facility on November 9, staging the event so that attendees and reporters could see and hear the traffic on Lamar Avenue, and that Haslam believes Tennessee has a three-year window of opportunity to enact some form of transportation funding increase:

Quote
Gov. Bill Haslam said in Memphis on Monday that it was time to put together a new "road plan" in Tennessee and said he hoped the General Assembly would tackle that plan – and how to pay for it – before he leaves office in 2018.
"We think it has to be discussed," Haslam said when asked if he wanted the legislature to take up a plan next year. "I guess I'd say it this way: I think it needs to happen while I'm governor, because if it doesn't, the new governor's not necessarily going to want to take that up in their first two years. There is no way we can keep going the way we are for the next five years. There's just no way it will work. People will feel that. And I think we need to address it while I'm in."
Haslam toured the state Monday, as he did this summer, highlighting the state's infrastructure backlog. He said 181 backlogged projects in 62 of the state's 95 counties won't be completed until 2034 unless the state tackles the issue.
Easing congestion on Lamar – a multiphase, $200 million-plus project – is on the list. ....
Haslam stopped short of proposing a gas tax increase – or any funding solution – Monday.
But he did push what has become a frequent bullet point of his on the topic, that increased fuel economy has led to Tennessee's per-gallon tax not being worth what it used to be.
"There's no other tax you can say it's half what it was 20 years ago," Haslam said.
Haslam's Memphis event – carefully staged so attendees and reporters would see and hear traffic on Lamar as he spoke – was his fourth on a five-city crisscrossing of the state that included similar events in Alcoa, Kingsport, Chattanooga and Lebanon.

I think the Lamar Avenue improvements will be a top priority if and when a funding increase is enacted.  Here is a snip of the Lamar Avenue projects from the backlog list:

(http://i.imgur.com/Gju9Bdx.jpg)

A $3.35 million bridge project appears on the "new" list:

(http://i.imgur.com/ojcAcML.jpg)
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on November 10, 2015, 09:59:54 AM
Guessing that "new" project is a bridge replacement at the 240/Lamar interchange.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: mvak36 on November 10, 2015, 10:05:45 AM
Just curious, are these projects bringing Lamar Avenue up to Interstate standards?
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on November 10, 2015, 10:15:29 AM
No.  They're basically to widen Lamar to 6 lanes (3 each way) where it's currently 4.   From earlier studies, conversion to Interstate standards would be about 3-4 times more expensive (not to mention require a boatload of right-of-way) than what's shown.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Henry on November 10, 2015, 11:10:45 AM
Hence the ending of I-22 at I-269.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: codyg1985 on November 10, 2015, 12:04:47 PM
Interesting that the ROW costs are going to be more than the construction costs as proposed right now.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: silverback1065 on November 10, 2015, 01:56:08 PM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Tom958 on November 12, 2015, 06:42:45 AM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?

Because the inadequacy of Lamar Avenue is a separate issue from the routing of I-22.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: US71 on November 12, 2015, 12:28:21 PM
Interesting that the ROW costs are going to be more than the construction costs as proposed right now.

Lots of commercial interests that could be affected.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on November 25, 2015, 07:08:44 AM
This article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/government/state/gov-haslam-pushes-for-road-plan-in-memphis-visit-240d41e0-81a8-1a60-e053-0100007ff9dd-344002722.html) reports that Gov. Haslam spoke at the Memphis Intermodal Facility on November 9, staging the event so that attendees and reporters could see and hear the traffic on Lamar Avenue, and that Haslam believes Tennessee has a three-year window of opportunity to enact some form of transportation funding increase ....
I think the Lamar Avenue improvements will be a top priority if and when a funding increase is enacted.

This article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/logistics/Memphis-backlog-of-uncompleted-road-projects-nears-1-billion-352338291.html) confirms that the Lamar Avenue upgrade is consistently considered the top priority among Shelby County's backlogged projects:

Quote
... Gov. Bill Haslam ...
recently stood on BNSF property with traffic roaring in the background and talked about the state’s $6 billion backlog of transportation projects, including at least $934 million that touch Shelby County.
Haslam said he wants to work with lawmakers to come up with a plan to fix the issue before he leaves office in 2018 ....
While Shelby’s backlogged projects are all over the map, transportation and logistics industry experts listed Lamar’s $229 million fix as the No. 1 thing that would help move freight through and within Memphis.
“Of the top priorities we’ve had, Lamar Avenue continues to come to the top almost all the time,”  said Dexter Muller, a senior advisor for the Greater Memphis Chamber. “It’s a high traffic location, and it’s highly congested. It’s serving 70 plus million square feet of industrial space. It’s also right there where the Burlington Northern is, which is important to us to keep those customers down there to support the BNSF.”
Dan Pallme, senior associate director of the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute at University of Memphis, said Lamar’s service level suffers because of competing demands of passenger vehicles and trucks, but the solution is so costly that it’s slow in coming.
“Obviously the Lamar corridor is primarily F-rated at a majority of times people try to travel. TDOT has a plan. It’s in the long-range vision. The problem is it costs a huge amount of money. (But) the longer we wait, the harder it is for Memphis to get caught up, so to speak,”  Pallme said.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on December 18, 2015, 11:17:56 AM
This TDOT press release (https://www.tn.gov/news/19387) announces the release, by Gov. Haslam, of two highway project lists: (a) currently backlogged projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/Backlog-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), and (b) new projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/New-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), as part of his public relations campaign to identify increased transportation funding in Tennessee:
Quote
Joined by Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer, Haslam also released two transportation projects lists: a list of 181 backlogged projects that will not be completed or at least under contract until 2034; and a list of 765 new project needs that cannot be considered until 2022 at the earliest, if ever.
(above quote from Tennessee (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=99.msg2104794#msg2104794) thread)
Here is a snip of the Lamar Avenue projects from the backlog list:
(http://i.imgur.com/Gju9Bdx.jpg)

This December 10 article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/TDOT-official-Current-state-transportation-projects-could-take-51-years-361495161.html) quotes a TDOT deputy commissioner as seeming to suggest that it may take approximately fifty years (instead of the nineteen years suggested by the 2034 date in the TDOT press release for completion or being under contract) to complete the Lamar Avenue backlogged projects if Tennessee's current funding system does not change:

Quote
Tennessee’s $11.4 billion in transportation needs won’t be done for 51 years, assuming 2 percent inflation and nothing new is added to what the Department of Transportation (TDOT) already has on its plate, a TDOT deputy commissioner said Thursday.
Toks Omishakin told an annual State of Freight conference at University of Memphis that improvements to the Lamar Avenue corridor in Memphis and other projects will move agonizingly slow until Congress and the state come up with a sustainable solution to funding transportation infrastructure.
“This is an issue of timing,”  he said. “This is an issue of priority. Do we really want to wait 50 years until we get a project like Lamar Avenue completed?”
The TDOT official joined transportation, logistics and planning experts for the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute’s ninth annual Intermodal Conference.
TDOT has a $6.1 billion backlog of projects already authorized by legislators and $5.3 billion in new projects identified. Lamar Avenue, a major artery for freight and passenger traffic, is among nearly a billion dollars in pending projects in Shelby County, Omishakin said.
It will take $270 million to $280 million to remove traffic bottlenecks on Lamar, including more than $100 million in right-of-way purchase alone.
“It’s going to take a lot of assistance from property owners along the way,”  he said ....
Omishakin said the biggest win in Congress’s action last week was a freight program that will spend $2 billion to $2.5 billion a year on projects to improve movement of products. However, Congress skirted the issue of making highway users pay more into the system, he said.
“Our work is still cut out for us on the state side,”  Omishakin said ....
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 05, 2016, 01:07:44 PM
This article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/logistics/Memphis-backlog-of-uncompleted-road-projects-nears-1-billion-352338291.html) confirms that the Lamar Avenue upgrade is consistently considered the top priority among Shelby County's backlogged projects

TDOT has released its Proposed Fiscal Years 2017-2019 Comprehensive Multimodal Program (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tdot/attachments/FY_17-19_3_year_program_%283-29-2016%29.pdf) and it includes construction on 1.1 miles of US 78 from the Mississippi state line to south of Shelby Drive in FY 2019:

(http://i.imgur.com/1Dj52U1.png)
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: rte66man on April 05, 2016, 08:40:53 PM
This article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/logistics/Memphis-backlog-of-uncompleted-road-projects-nears-1-billion-352338291.html) confirms that the Lamar Avenue upgrade is consistently considered the top priority among Shelby County's backlogged projects

TDOT has released its Proposed Fiscal Years 2017-2019 Comprehensive Multimodal Program (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tdot/attachments/FY_17-19_3_year_program_%283-29-2016%29.pdf) and it includes construction on 1.1 miles of US 78 from the Mississippi state line to south of Shelby Drive in FY 2019:

(http://i.imgur.com/1Dj52U1.png)

Does it say exactly what will be constructed?
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 06, 2016, 02:30:55 PM
http://direction2040.com/library/Draft_Chapter_08%20(Implementation%20Plan).pdf
Draft timetable for Lamar Corridor:
2020 - Holmes Road interchange and widen to 6 lanes from Stateline Road to Shelby Drive ,,,
(above quote from Interstate 22 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=724.msg130576#msg130576) thread)
This TDOT press release (https://www.tn.gov/news/19387) announces the release, by Gov. Haslam, of two highway project lists: (a) currently backlogged projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/Backlog-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), and (b) new projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/ProjectNeeds/Images/documents/New-Projects-for-11-9-15.pdf), as part of his public relations campaign to identify increased transportation funding in Tennessee
(above quote from Tennessee (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=99.msg2104794#msg2104794) thread)
Here is a snip of the Lamar Avenue projects from the backlog list:
(http://i.imgur.com/Gju9Bdx.jpg)
TDOT has released its Proposed Fiscal Years 2017-2019 Comprehensive Multimodal Program (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tdot/attachments/FY_17-19_3_year_program_%283-29-2016%29.pdf) and it includes construction on 1.1 miles of US 78 from the Mississippi state line to south of Shelby Drive in FY 2019:
(http://i.imgur.com/1Dj52U1.png)
Does it say exactly what will be constructed?

The Proposed Multimodal Program does not say exactly what will be constructed, but given the $22.4 million construction cost, my best guess is that it will include construction of a Holmes Road interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0058842,-89.8878013,816m/data=!3m1!1e3) along with the widening of Lamar Avenue to six lanes.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on April 06, 2016, 08:19:27 PM
That dollar figure seems a bit low for widening plus interchange...
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 24, 2016, 01:45:08 PM
This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:
(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)
TDOT has released its Proposed Fiscal Years 2017-2019 Comprehensive Multimodal Program (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tdot/attachments/FY_17-19_3_year_program_%283-29-2016%29.pdf) and it includes construction on 1.1 miles of US 78 from the Mississippi state line to south of Shelby Drive in FY 2019:
(http://i.imgur.com/1Dj52U1.png)
Does it say exactly what will be constructed?
The Proposed Multimodal Program does not say exactly what will be constructed, but given the $22.4 million construction cost, my best guess is that it will include construction of a Holmes Road interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0058842,-89.8878013,816m/data=!3m1!1e3) along with the widening of Lamar Avenue to six lanes.
That dollar figure seems a bit low for widening plus interchange...

The Memphis MPO has posted its FY 2017-20 TIP Project List (http://www.memphismpo.org/sites/default/files/public/FY%202017-20%20Project%20List%20%28Compiled%29.pdf) that will be presented to its Transportation Policy Board for approval on May 5 and it includes an estimated construction cost for the project (combining federal and state funding) of $42 million (p. 1/8 of pdf):

(http://i.imgur.com/s6h0yBC.png)
....
(http://i.imgur.com/EcrmF1Q.png)

Perhaps the $42 million construction cost estimate would feasibly cover the construction costs of the widening to six lanes and the Holmes Road interchange?
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on September 23, 2016, 07:10:43 PM
TDOT focused on Lamar Avenue for a FASTLANE grant and they were not awarded one.   However, this Aug. 12 article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/Tennessee--389922202.html) reports that they will try again next year after studying which projects won this year, the amount of local money for those projects vs. the grant, and enlist the support of an advocacy group:

Quote
The Tennessee Department of Transportation plans to try again next year for a federal FASTLANE grant to help with a $300 million overhaul of Lamar Avenue.
The state's application for $180 million isn't among inaugural FASTLANE program grants that are expected to be made final in September.
A freight industry advocate, the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors, said the Memphis project was among several noteworthy efforts that didn't get funded.
Officials with the group said  the outcome disappoints them and they intend to push for more money in coming years for projects to improve the flow of goods.
While some states submitted multiple applications, Tennessee got behind the Lamar project, touting the corridor's role in 42,000 jobs and more than 20 Fortune 500 companies.
Spokeswoman B.J. Doughty said, "TDOT does plan on applying for the grant again during the next cycle, which will be next year. The FASTLANE grants are available for the full 5 year cycle of the Fast Act."

"In the meantime, we will stay the course using our available funding to the move the many phases of the Lamar Avenue project forward," Doughty said.
Doughty said TDOT would be working with the federal agency to improve the application."When TDOT looked at the states who were awarded FASTLANE grants this time, they had far greater investments on the state level than Tennessee had initially proposed and had also asked for less federal funding. That will be something else we look at when completing the next application," she said.
The project calls for expansion of four-lane Lamar to six lanes and new interchanges at three heavily congested intersections ....
The Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors said the FASTLANE program was created in response to pressure for a freight-specific grant competition, following several years of TIGER grants (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program awards that were divided among a diverse mix of tranportation projects.
"Based on the very limited information provided by U.S. DOT on the awards...we have (been) able to determine that at least 16 percent of (FASTLANE) funds were awarded to non-freight projects," coalition spokesman Jeff Agnew said.
"However, with respect to the 84 percent, it is difficult to discern how much of the funding went to actual freight projects or projects with a freight component," Agnew said.
Coalition chairman Tim Lovain said, "We look forward to reviewing the full list of applications under the first round of FASTLANE and working with U.S. DOT to ensure that in the future, funding is more focused on significant freight awards, as Congress intended. There are vast freight needs across the country and this type of infrastructure investment yields the highest return.'
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on October 03, 2016, 07:47:08 PM
TDOT focused on Lamar Avenue for a FASTLANE grant and they were not awarded one.   However, this Aug. 12 article (http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/Tennessee--389922202.html) reports that they will try again next year after studying which projects won this year, the amount of local money for those projects vs. the grant, and enlist the support of an advocacy group

This article (https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2016/oct/1/logistical-nightmare/) covers much of the same ground as the above article, but it adds that an award of a grant would allow completion of the project within five years:

Quote
Earlier this year, TDOT applied for a $180 million grant through the federal Department of Transportation. With the funds, Schroer estimates it would only take five years to expand four-lane Lamar to six lanes and construct new interchanges at three heavily congested intersections. TDOT threw all of its weight behind the Memphis project while other states submitted multiple applications for the federal FASTLANE grant. The Greater Memphis Chamber coordinated the grant with the Memphis Metropolitan Planning Authority — the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department submitted their support as well.
When the grants were announced in July, Memphis’ project didn’t make the cut. TDOT plans to reapply for a FASTLANE grant next year and will continue on its uphill battle of acquiring rights-of-way for when the pieces fall into place ....
With Memphis out of the running for receiving a federal grant this year, TDOT has pledged to inch forward by acquiring right-of-way for the first phase of the project, which should cost around $500,000. Some of those costs could be lessened if a company elects to donate its land.
Schroer said Lamar has been a local priority for nearly 10 years. Last April, TDOT allotted $3 million for right-of-way acquisition for the first phase of the Lamar project, which extends from the Tennessee/Mississippi state line to Shelby Drive.
Schroer expects right-of-way acquisition for the first phase will take about two years. At that point, TDOT will begin construction and then right-of-way acquisition for the next phase, which extends from Shelby Drive to Raines/Perkins Road. The final phase of Lamar’s extension ends at Getwell Road.

“We'll have elevated roads at the interchanges, and entrance and exit ramps onto Lamar Avenue, and that means there are some businesses that we're going to have to purchase,”  Schroer said. “Those acquisitions are always harder.”
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: compdude787 on October 04, 2016, 05:56:44 PM
I'm not very familiar with this project or the area, but are there plans to improve Lamar Blvd to a freeway west of Getwell Blvd all the way to I-240? That would seem to be the logical next step to me, especially if I-22 is planned to extend over this corridor.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: codyg1985 on October 05, 2016, 09:15:31 AM
I'm not very familiar with this project or the area, but are there plans to improve Lamar Blvd to a freeway west of Getwell Blvd all the way to I-240? That would seem to be the logical next step to me, especially if I-22 is planned to extend over this corridor.

I think the cost to upgrade to a full freeway would have produced negligible benefits versus putting in additional interchanges at major routes and adding travel lanes which is why that is not being pursued at this time.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on October 05, 2016, 03:34:16 PM
Safety would be one major benefit of extending I-22 along Lamar Ave. all the way to I-240. There's so much industrial and freight activity in that area. It's not really good to have that much semi truck traffic going through a bunch of stop and go intersections.

There is a lot of major improvements needed in that area on Memphis' South side. Memphis Int'l Airport is right there in that area. A fully complete I-22 could help serve traffic going in and out of the airport. Some improvements are being made to Plough Blvd on the West side of the Airport to I-240. It curves under the runways and turns into Winchester Ave., which is just a basic surface street. But it has a lot of traffic on it, including lots of trucks. Upgrades to TN-176 and Lamar Ave. could at least get traffic in and out of that area a little better rather than getting it all backed up at the signal lights.

If US-78/I-22 can be upgraded to a freeway as far as TN-176/Getwell Road that might open an option or two for ultimately connecting I-22 to I-240 in the long run.

The best thing really would be keeping the freeway aligned along Lamar Ave. But it might have to be elevated on those last few blocks to I-240. Lots of people don't like elevated freeways. However, that's not a "pretty" area of Memphis. There's lots of warehouses and other industrial stuff which really wouldn't be slighted by an elevated section of super highway. If they want to save space maybe one direction of lanes could be routed over Lamar to I-240 and the other direction of lanes could be routed up Getwell Rd to I-240.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on October 05, 2016, 09:25:34 PM
Quote
Safety would be one major benefit of extending I-22 along Lamar Ave. all the way to I-240. There's so much industrial and freight activity in that area. It's not really good to have that much semi truck traffic going through a bunch of stop and go intersections.

Meanwhile, existing development would be one major reason NOT to pursue such a freeway upgrade, as has been noted upthread.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: codyg1985 on October 06, 2016, 07:20:06 AM
If some access management (suitable for trucks, of course) is employed along with interchanges at major roads, Lamar may flow pretty well.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2016, 02:43:20 PM
Quote
Meanwhile, existing development would be one major reason NOT to pursue such a freeway upgrade, as has been noted upthread.

A decent amount of property will have to be taken for the intersection upgrades on US-78 all the way to Getwell Road. It's not clear to me if they'll have US-78 upgraded fully to a freeway to that point or still have some driveways attached to it between the freeway style intersections.

The last 2 miles between Getwell Road and I-240 are particularly thick with development. There's no way a conventional freeway upgrade could be pushed through there without erasing all the businesses on at least one side of the road. Obviously that would be very costly and very controversial. On the other hand, an elevated freeway that split the Southbound and Northbound lanes apart on different viaducts, kind of like the end of I-44 in Wichita Falls, wouldn't need to demolish a lot of property. They could also take a long term approach, slowly buying up property and ROW as businesses come and go.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Avalanchez71 on October 06, 2016, 03:43:15 PM
Well when the businesses set up shop there they knew what they were getting into.  There is no need to upgrade to fully controlled access.  You may be able to have an elevated express lane or two at an intersection.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: rte66man on October 06, 2016, 07:17:29 PM
How about turning te freeway north up Getwell to I-240.  Lots less property to take.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Avalanchez71 on October 06, 2016, 08:12:02 PM
The problems you run into with Memphis is that you can be accused of gentrification with these freeways you are proposing.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: NE2 on October 06, 2016, 08:40:34 PM
The problems you run into with Memphis is that you can be accused of gentrification with these freeways you are proposing.
what
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: lordsutch on October 06, 2016, 09:25:03 PM
How about turning te freeway north up Getwell to I-240.  Lots less property to take.
That would be the logical solution. Maybe if/when the section east of Getwell (they've been taking about an interchange at Shelby Drive for over two decades without ever shovelling dirt, hence my skepticism) is upgraded TDOT will feel the need complete a direct freeway connection.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: US71 on October 07, 2016, 10:13:28 PM
How about turning te freeway north up Getwell to I-240.  Lots less property to take.
78 is way too developed in Memphis  IMO, building 22 around would be easier.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on April 25, 2017, 11:41:46 AM
This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:
(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)
I sincerely hope Tennessee passes Governor Haslam's proposal to raise the gas tax and index it to inflation. It is sorely needed.
All it takes now is Gov. Haslam's signature. This TV video (http://www.wbir.com/news/local/tennessee-lawmakers-expected-to-give-final-ok-to-gas-tax-bill/433683669) reports that the House conformed its version to the Senate version last night, that it will start being phased in July 1 ....
Here is a map of the 962 projects (https://www.tdot.tn.gov/projectneeds/spot#/) which will be funded by the IMPROVE Act
(bottom quote from Tennessee (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=99.msg2220927#new) thread)

This snip from the map shows the three above projects fully funded by the IMPROVE Act;

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/gallery/1615_25_04_17_11_31_48.png)

Mississippi state line to south of Shelby: $42 million
South of Shelby to Raines/Perkins: $125.3 million
Raines/Perkins Interchange to Getwell: $81.4 million

I'm not sure of the time line, but funding is in place. Also, they have submitted a FASTLANE application, which, if awarded, would really accelerate the process.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on May 09, 2017, 01:17:35 PM
This May 15 Memphis Business Journal article (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html) includes a map that divides the project into three sections from the state line to Getwell Road (http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2015/05/15/lamar-corridor-funding-at-risk-sec-foxx-stumps.html#i1), and includes the associated ROW and construction costs for each section:
(http://i.imgur.com/dQbgAAr.png)

TDOT apparently will make quick progress on this project, with TDOT's FY 2018-20 Three Year Plan (http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/tdot/attachments/Three_Year_Transportation_Plan_(FY_18-20).pdf) showing construction of one section starting FY 2018 and ROW acquisition (which is considerable) of the other two sections starting in FY 2018 and FY 2019, respectively (p. 11/21 of pdf):

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/gallery/1615_09_05_17_1_14_58.png)
....
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/gallery/1615_09_05_17_1_08_51.png)
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: DJStephens on May 14, 2017, 02:12:49 PM
The problems you run into with Memphis is that you can be accused of gentrification with these freeways you are proposing.

"running white man's roads through black man's homes"  Imagine you have heard that one.  Any potential improvements to the route should be confined to the industrialized US 78 corridor.  Not spread out into adjacent residential areas.   
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on May 15, 2017, 09:27:47 PM
The whole Lamar issue stems from the initial push by then-Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) to designate I-22 over US 78 circa 2000-2001, prior to the scandal that ended his career.  There was no love lost between Lott and (again) then-Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), who succedded him as Senate majority leader in '02.  Frist wanted no part of the I-22 corridor, assuming (with some insight!) that it had limited benefit to his state.  The I-22 "cause" lay dormant for a while before Alabama, in the form of Sen. Shelby, took up the gauntlet in 2003 and got I-22 onto the books the following year. 

Lamar Ave.'s proposed upgrades are simply a local attempt to relieve the congestion on that street; the concept of a full freeway extension of the MS US 78 continuation of the I-22 corridor to another Interstate freeway facility isn't part of the official agenda (although likely in the back of some folks' minds).  New freeways inside the 269/385 loop, with the exception of I-69 paralleling US 51 north of town, just aren't on the radar due to the likelihood of local political opposition for the reasons cited above.  Overton Park is still an active memory with Memphis circles; in this case, it has been deemed best to let this sleeping dog just lie!   
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on May 16, 2017, 01:18:24 AM
If they can extend the I-22/US-78 freeway as far North as New Getwell Road there are plausible ways to get the freeway extended the rest of the way to I-240. Obviously the best thing would be building a new freeway along the existing US-78 corridor, but such a conversion would only happen gradually over many years unless people in Tennessee and Mississippi wanted to get this done like some of the big freeway expansion projects that have happened in Texas. This situation is not nearly as ambitious or costly as something like the Katy Freeway expansion in Houston. The portion of US-78 between New Getwell Road and Knight Arnold Road looks pretty run down to me. I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few commercial property owners in that area would love to be bought out (if the price was right). I could see "Future I-22" being extended to that intersection at the very least. Then it's only 1 mile between Knight Arnold Road and American Way. The US-78/I-240 interchange is just beyond that.

One possible alternative: near the intersection of US-78 and Knight Arnold Blvd there is a large amount of land that was cleared of property -a site labeled in Google Earth as the Walter J. Simmons Estates Neighborhood Association. There's just foundation slabs and over-growth there now. There's more than enough space to send I-22 through there and curve it back over to the existing US-78/I-240 interchange. But it would have some negative impact on Nash Buckingham Park and come near American Way Middle School.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Grzrd on June 06, 2018, 08:30:11 PM
TDOT was awarded a $71 million INFRA grant (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2018/6/6/tdot-receives--71-1-million-grant-to-fund-lamar-avenue-projects.html) for Lamar Avenue:

Quote
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been awarded a $71.1 million federal transportation grant to fund the widening of Lamar Avenue (US 78/SR 4) in Memphis. Combined with funds dedicated through the 2017 IMPROVE Act, the grant will help completely pay for the remaining phases of the three Lamar Avenue projects ....
The planned improvements include widening Lamar Avenue from four to six lanes from the Tennessee-Mississippi state line continuing north to the currently six lane section at Getwell Road. Three congested intersections would also be upgraded to new interchanges.
Lamar Avenue Schedule:
·         From MS state line to south of Shelby Drive (1.4 miles) — Construction to begin Fall 2018
·         From South of Shelby Drive to near Raines Road/Perkins Road Interchange (1.9 miles) — Right of Way acquisition to begin Fall 2018, construction scheduled in Fall 2020
·         Near Raines Road/Perkins Road Interchange to Getwell Road (1.8 miles) — Right of Way acquisition to begin in Summer 2019, construction scheduled in Fall 2021.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: rlb2024 on June 07, 2018, 10:07:37 PM
One possible alternative: near the intersection of US-78 and Knight Arnold Blvd there is a large amount of land that was cleared of property -a site labeled in Google Earth as the Walter J. Simmons Estates Neighborhood Association. There's just foundation slabs and over-growth there now. There's more than enough space to send I-22 through there and curve it back over to the existing US-78/I-240 interchange. But it would have some negative impact on Nash Buckingham Park and come near American Way Middle School.
That was an old housing project that was torn down.  My understanding is that the city of Memphis is putting a municipal complex on the Walter Simmons property that will house the Public Works and other city departments.  The creek that runs through there can get some pretty heavy water movement during heave rains from what I remember when I lived in Memphis many years ago.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: capt.ron on June 09, 2018, 11:46:18 PM
TDOT was awarded a $71 million INFRA grant (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2018/6/6/tdot-receives--71-1-million-grant-to-fund-lamar-avenue-projects.html) for Lamar Avenue:

Quote
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been awarded a $71.1 million federal transportation grant to fund the widening of Lamar Avenue (US 78/SR 4) in Memphis. Combined with funds dedicated through the 2017 IMPROVE Act, the grant will help completely pay for the remaining phases of the three Lamar Avenue projects ....
The planned improvements include widening Lamar Avenue from four to six lanes from the Tennessee-Mississippi state line continuing north to the currently six lane section at Getwell Road. Three congested intersections would also be upgraded to new interchanges.
Lamar Avenue Schedule:
·         From MS state line to south of Shelby Drive (1.4 miles) — Construction to begin Fall 2018
·         From South of Shelby Drive to near Raines Road/Perkins Road Interchange (1.9 miles) — Right of Way acquisition to begin Fall 2018, construction scheduled in Fall 2020
·         Near Raines Road/Perkins Road Interchange to Getwell Road (1.8 miles) — Right of Way acquisition to begin in Summer 2019, construction scheduled in Fall 2021.
That's great news! I just came through the area today and the pavement is in horrible shape, and the traffic lights are annoying as well. The more interchanges they can squeeze in from the I-240 freeway down to the TN/MS line, the better!
IMHO, Tennessee has really painted themselves in a corner regarding US 78. Now, they are trying to get ROW for more interchanges and widening, which the minimum ROW distance should have been enforced back when they began to 4 lane 78 to the MS border.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on June 12, 2018, 12:24:17 PM
New, wider pavement will be nice. 3 more interchanges is also good. Overall this will be a decent, yet modest improvement. It doesn't sound like the freeway would be extended all the way to Getwell Road even though that's what really needs to happen. A 6-lane freeway flanked by frontage roads would be the best solution.

From the MS state line to Getwell Road there's all these intersections with US-78:
Davidson Rd (traffic signals)
-----no driveways up to Holmes Rd
Holmes Rd (traffic signals)
-----7 driveways up to Tuggle Rd, 3 WB, 4 EB; 1 median crossing.
Tuggle Rd (traffic signalss)
-----16 driveways up to Shelby Dr, 5 WB, 11 EB, 4 median crossings.
-----Pleasant Run Rd (no signal)
Shelby Drive (traffic signals)
-----4 driveways up to Pleasant Hill Rd, 1 WB, 3 EB, 3 median crossings.
-----Stepherson Rd (no signal, BNSF intermodal entrance)
Pleasant Hill Rd (signal, BNSF intermodal entrance)
-----Sonoma Cove (no signal, Williams-Sonoma entrance)
Concorde Rd (traffic signals)
E Raines Rd/S Perkins Rd (existing partial cloverleaf interchange)
S Goodlett St (no signal)
-----5 driveways up to Winchester Rd, 2 WB, 3 EB, 0 median crossings.
-----Homewood Road RIRO
Winchester Rd (traffic signals)
-----16 driveways up to Winchester Rd, 7 WB, 9 EB.
-----Clearpool Circle Rd, South (no signal)
-----Clearpool Circle Rd, North (no signal)
-----Willow Wick Drive (no signal)
Getwell Rd NB Entrance/Exit (no signal)
Getwell Rd SB Entrance/Exit (traffic signals)

The last 2 miles of US-78 leading up to I-240 is quite a clusterf*** of driveways and intersections, including 5 more traffic signals. The upshot is most of the property is commercial, not residential. None of it is post card material. A bunch of it looks kind of run down. It might not be as difficult to buy out properties and acquire right of way as it is in other better looking locations.

Still, even if property owners along US-78 are more than willing to sell, it's still going to take a whole lot of money to extend what could be I-22 the rest of the way to the I-240 loop.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on June 12, 2018, 06:10:05 PM
At this point, it appears that regardless of what happens in TN, I-22 will continue to terminate at the I-269 interchange, using the latter road to access the other I-routes in the vicinity.  They do continue to start the mileage/exit numbers at the state line along US 78, so the matter could conceivably be revisited somewhere down the line.  But holding one's breath for a Lamar-based freeway connecting to I-240 is a waste of effort; there's no support within TN circles -- official or otherwise -- for such a project (although I'm sure Memphis interests wouldn't mind having I-22 traffic funneled toward their core rather than shunted around the periphery).  But TNDOT and their political handlers have never shown much interest in I-22 -- either conceptually or fiscally; it's more or less a "stray" that wandered into their region. 
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on June 13, 2018, 01:04:10 AM
If TN DOT and other politically connected people in Memphis really feel that way about I-22 they ought to flush out whatever gunk has built up between their ears. A completed I-22 highway is not just a direct, faster link from Memphis to the Birmingham area, it creates a faster connection to the much larger Atlanta metro area. The only other all-Interstate alternative is going through Nashville and Chattanooga, which is way out of the way.

There's plenty of reasons for US-78 on the Tennessee side of the border to be Interstate quality clear to I-240 whether it carries an Interstate designation or not. Lots of industrial facilities, trucking companies, etc are along the route. A major airport is nearby. The Fed Ex hub is nearby. The BNSF intermodal facility is along US-78. Seems pretty appropriate for a freeway to me.

I-22 could be an even more valuable corridor for the Southeastern US if it could be extended farther Southeast from Birmingham down through Columbus, GA and ultimately to the Jacksonville, FL area. The Interstate highway system has a lot of diagonal routes running from Southwest to Northeast. Not nearly as many run in the opposite diagonal direction. IMHO some important big gaps are present in that regard.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on June 13, 2018, 04:39:54 PM
It'll take more than a simple flush to dissipate the long-standing enmity between TNDOT (and the rest of the TN state apparatus) and Memphis -- more like a few pounds of C4!  Ever since the flap regarding I-40 and Overton Park some 40+ years back, Memphis has languished at the bottom of the priority list compared with the central and eastern parts of the state.  The seemingly perpetual delays regarding the I-55/Crump interchange upgrade are another manifestation of this phenomenon -- regardless of the project, something -- either political or fiscal -- seems to crop up to delay or even shelve local projects.  The fact that anything is set in stone for the Lamar corridor is in itself a miracle, likely prompted by entreaties from FedEx and other regional corporate interests. 

Part of the problem is that Memphis is scrunched down in the corner of TN; projects extending out from the periphery (with the exception of I-69 north of town) tend to provide more benefits to the other states -- i.e. anything to do with I-22 benefiting MS and by extension AL more than TN itself, and upgrades to 55/Crump benefiting "in-and-out" traffic on I-55 and/or Arkansas rather than accruing primarily to TN.  Yeah, it's a parochial attitude -- but one that has pervaded more than one DOT/state bureaucracy, with TN certainly being an example.  While Bobby is more than correct regarding the potential of the I-22 corridor to form at least part of a greater link between regions, that hardly seems to matter to the TN powers that be, which apparently sees the state as likely to receive barely a sliver of any benefits from deployment of such a corridor concept.   
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on June 13, 2018, 04:47:24 PM
One could argue that *NOT* upgrading US 78 to a freeway between 240 and the State Line (regardless of whether it would be an Interstate or not) reduces the need to conversely widen I-240.  Pretty sure that if 78 were a freeway to 240, it would make the traffic situation on 240 untenable...especially west towards the airport exit and 55.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Brooks on June 13, 2018, 05:04:24 PM
One could argue that *NOT* upgrading US 78 to a freeway between 240 and the State Line (regardless of whether it would be an Interstate or not) reduces the need to conversely widen I-240.  Pretty sure that if 78 were a freeway to 240, it would make the traffic situation on 240 untenable...especially west towards the airport exit and 55.

Whether or not Lamar is ever completely upgraded to a freeway does not change the 240 situation.  It still desperately needs to be widened between the airport and I-55; the 6 lane bottleneck through there is insane (in both directions) during peak (and sometimes off-peak!) hours.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Bobby5280 on June 13, 2018, 07:45:29 PM
The I-55 bridge across the Mississippi River into the SW side of Memphis is already creating a totally unacceptable situation. That existing 4-lane bridge needs to be replaced. The aging I-40 bridge about 2 miles up river isn't too much better. At least it has 3 lanes in each direction. But there are no shoulders at all.

As for widening I-240, that's a more feasible proposition. There's already enough room in the existing ROW to add one or two lanes in each direction on I-240 between the US-78 interchange and I-55. And I-55 could be expanded into 4 lanes in each direction up past the oil refinery. The situation only gets really tight when I-55 goes into a narrow trench a few blocks at South Parkway. The existing cloverleaf interchange next to the I-55 bridge ought to be replaced with some other design. Or a new I-55 river crossing to Arkansas should be built farther South.

The state of Mississippi could twist this situation into their advantage if they had their act more together. If I-22 was extended directly West of its current end at I-269 with a new Mississippi River crossing taking the new Interstate into Arkansas and up to I-40 the road would draw a lot of long distance commercial traffic and tourist traffic. Trucks on I-40 headed to/from places like Atlanta would have an excellent bypass of Memphis. Tourists going to Tunica to gamble would be able to bypass Memphis completely as well. I think such a highway connection would cause Tunica to grow quite a bit.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on June 14, 2018, 07:17:52 PM
The I-55 bridge across the Mississippi River into the SW side of Memphis is already creating a totally unacceptable situation. That existing 4-lane bridge needs to be replaced. The aging I-40 bridge about 2 miles up river isn't too much better. At least it has 3 lanes in each direction. But there are no shoulders at all.

As for widening I-240, that's a more feasible proposition. There's already enough room in the existing ROW to add one or two lanes in each direction on I-240 between the US-78 interchange and I-55. And I-55 could be expanded into 4 lanes in each direction up past the oil refinery. The situation only gets really tight when I-55 goes into a narrow trench a few blocks at South Parkway. The existing cloverleaf interchange next to the I-55 bridge ought to be replaced with some other design. Or a new I-55 river crossing to Arkansas should be built farther South.

The state of Mississippi could twist this situation into their advantage if they had their act more together. If I-22 was extended directly West of its current end at I-269 with a new Mississippi River crossing taking the new Interstate into Arkansas and up to I-40 the road would draw a lot of long distance commercial traffic and tourist traffic. Trucks on I-40 headed to/from places like Atlanta would have an excellent bypass of Memphis. Tourists going to Tunica to gamble would be able to bypass Memphis completely as well. I think such a highway connection would cause Tunica to grow quite a bit.

The I-55 (aka US 61/64/70/79) bridge was inadequate 50 years ago, today it's a genuine relic!  AFAIK, there are no standing plans to replace it, although the plans for rebuilding the 55/Crump interchange to the east were published about 7-8 years ago but apparently the funding that was to be applied vanished shortly thereafter (except as a pathway to Graceland, I-55 is certainly TNDOT's most unwanted child!). 

At the risk of venturing into fictional territory -- if the 55/Crump situation isn't resolved anytime soon, if it were me I'd simply reroute I-55 straight up present I-240 (and future I-69) to I-40 and turn it west with I-40 to cross the Mississippi River on the 6-lane bridge; the freeway stub up to Crump and the existing I-55 bridge would be re-designated part of I-240 (at least put all the compounded inadequacies in one 3di package!), which, of course, would terminate at I-40/55 in West Memphis. 

It seems that ever since I started looking at this board back in 2009 that an additional Mississippi River crossing -- either south of Memphis near Tunica or north simply as an extension of I-269/TN 385 -- has been posited as a desirable concept.  But that's the problem with dealing with 2 or even 3 states with their own political machinations and subsequent policy variations -- it's difficult if not impossible to get everyone on the same page at the same time with commonality of interests.  Who knows -- in another 9 years, maybe things will change and a new river crossing will be imminent.  Or not......

Tunica's out there on a floodplain; most NW MS development is to the east (wouldn't surprise me if things started centering around the 22/269 interchange) as a continuation of the trends of the last several decades.  The Tunica area is likely to remain what it is for some time; only partially developable because of both the presence of wetlands and the agricultural value of the area along US 61.  Of course, if a southern river crossing were to be developed in the vicinity, roadside businesses of the usual variety would undoubtedly crop up, as would some housing immediately adjacent to the new roadway.  But the more likely recipient of benefits from a new crossing would be over the river in Arkansas, where development has been stifled by not only the land in that area being primarily in a low-lying floodplain -- but also by limited connectivity to the population center across the river.  If such a crossing were to turn north to serve both I-40 and I-55, land in the region deemed usable would probably be snapped up by commercial and housing developers in short order.  A "boomtown" effect would probably characterize activity in and around West Memphis -- which would then function as a viable suburb rather than just another pass-through along the highway.  If NLR and NWA provide any indication, AR interests sure won't pass up the opportunity for increased profitability and revenue -- getting their "piece of the pie" re metro Memphis.  But getting the ducks lined up to do just that would require the cooperation of at least two states with longstanding fiscal issues.  Thus this discussion is purely speculative regarding that additional crossing; the chances of this happening anytime soon are negligible. 
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: jamierazorback on June 24, 2018, 11:50:15 PM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis). It would still do that and also not end where I-269 would end if it was routed to I-55. So that confusion wouldn't happen either. I'm not sure why MDOT and TDOT are not getting this done. It would require little money compared to Lamar Ave, to upgrade parts of 385 to Interstate standard.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on June 25, 2018, 12:30:08 AM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis). It would still do that and also not end where I-269 would end if it was routed to I-55. So that confusion wouldn't happen either. I'm not sure why MDOT and TDOT are not getting this done. It would require little money compared to Lamar Ave, to upgrade parts of 385 to Interstate standard.

While it looks doable when viewed on a map, shunting I-22 north on I-269 into TN, then turning it west on 385 is in itself somewhat convoluted -- more so than a simple west jaunt on I-269 to I-55(69) and dispersing from there.  And then there's the need to route EB I-22 traffic around a 30mph cloverleaf loop (double C/D lanes notwithstanding), something that obviously has been done elsewhere but is currently frowned upon.  MSDOT has nothing to gain by such a routing; quite the inverse -- 269 west to 55, then north places intercity traffic on the one De Soto County freeway (55) featuring commercial activities that potentially could be enhanced by the additional traffic from I-22 (keeping any accrued revenues within MS).  And TNDOT has shown little or no interest in placing one inch of I-22 within their state;  funding any necessary upgrades to TN 385 would likely be "back-burnered" until any interest waned.  So without any significant clamor from folks along the E-W 385 corridor for such a change of designation, signifying political support, a reroute prospect for I-22 involving TN activity is likely a non-starter. 
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Brooks on June 25, 2018, 12:52:00 AM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis). It would still do that and also not end where I-269 would end if it was routed to I-55. So that confusion wouldn't happen either. I'm not sure why MDOT and TDOT are not getting this done. It would require little money compared to Lamar Ave, to upgrade parts of 385 to Interstate standard.
IIRC, 385 is built to Interstate standards.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: sparker on June 25, 2018, 01:33:02 AM
Why not just route I-22 onto SR 385 to I-240 and leave us 78 alone?
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis). It would still do that and also not end where I-269 would end if it was routed to I-55. So that confusion wouldn't happen either. I'm not sure why MDOT and TDOT are not getting this done. It would require little money compared to Lamar Ave, to upgrade parts of 385 to Interstate standard.
IIRC, 385 is built to Interstate standards.

TN 385 -- at least from the most recent GSV -- has Interstate-grade outer shoulders, but the inner shoulders, while paved, are all recessed rumble strip with no breakdown area (at least on the 4-lane easternmost segment) and a simple cable barrier in the median.  While it does look like the inner shoulder meets the 4-foot-width Interstate criteria, it's likely that some improved median barrier (thrie beam/K-rail) would have to be installed to bring the facility "up to snuff", so to speak. 

But even if the E-W section of TN 385 were to technically pass FHWA muster, rerouting I-22 up to and over this facility would still require serious "backtracking" northeast along I-269 north of the I-22 Byhalia interchange; it'd be unlikely, considering the other drawbacks mentioned in previous posts, that MSDOT -- much less TNDOT -- would consider pursuing such an action.   
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on June 25, 2018, 10:47:01 AM
Quote from: jamierazorback
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis).

By the time I-22 talk came around, any plans that MIGHT have existed for a US 78 freeway between 240 and the state line were long gone.  And I'm not convinced such plans existed to begin with.  MikeTheActuary, who has family in Memphis and did extensive research years ago on the area's highway history, hadn't found any such plans either.

Quote from: sparker
TN 385 -- at least from the most recent GSV -- has Interstate-grade outer shoulders, but the inner shoulders, while paved, are all recessed rumble strip with no breakdown area (at least on the 4-lane easternmost segment) and a simple cable barrier in the median.  While it does look like the inner shoulder meets the 4-foot-width Interstate criteria, it's likely that some improved median barrier (thrie beam/K-rail) would have to be installed to bring the facility "up to snuff", so to speak.

As long as TDOT doesn't add additional lanes and assuming the existing inside shoulders are indeed 4 feet paved, the cable barrier does meet standards.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: Henry on June 26, 2018, 09:26:13 AM
Quote from: jamierazorback
This makes the most sense and should be done. I-22 was going to end up at I-240 anyway(based on the original plans of hwy 78 to connect in Memphis).

By the time I-22 talk came around, any plans that MIGHT have existed for a US 78 freeway between 240 and the state line were long gone.  And I'm not convinced such plans existed to begin with.  MikeTheActuary, who has family in Memphis and did extensive research years ago on the area's highway history, hadn't found any such plans either.

Quote from: sparker
TN 385 -- at least from the most recent GSV -- has Interstate-grade outer shoulders, but the inner shoulders, while paved, are all recessed rumble strip with no breakdown area (at least on the 4-lane easternmost segment) and a simple cable barrier in the median.  While it does look like the inner shoulder meets the 4-foot-width Interstate criteria, it's likely that some improved median barrier (thrie beam/K-rail) would have to be installed to bring the facility "up to snuff", so to speak.

As long as TDOT doesn't add additional lanes and assuming the existing inside shoulders are indeed 4 feet paved, the cable barrier does meet standards.

This is a bit surprising that US 78's freeway conversion had never been sought, and this would've been the ideal route for I-22 to continue on, but given that TDOT has no interest in I-22 either, I think that's the reason why it ends well short of the state line.

As for TN 385, I think it would work better as a Memphis-Atlanta Interstate (via Huntsville), but I don't see that happening either.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: MikeTheActuary on June 26, 2018, 11:05:05 AM
By the time I-22 talk came around, any plans that MIGHT have existed for a US 78 freeway between 240 and the state line were long gone.  And I'm not convinced such plans existed to begin with.  MikeTheActuary, who has family in Memphis and did extensive research years ago on the area's highway history, hadn't found any such plans either.

Put another way:

My father worked most of his career with the Memphis/Shelby Count Office of Planning and Development.  I grew up with various iterations of long-range transportation plans for Memphis attached to by bedroom walls, and I salvaged a few items when I emptied my parents' house a year or two ago.

I know by first- and second-hand means that there were no plans to upgrade Lamar Avenue to a freeway in the mid-70's or thereafter.  I suspect, but don't actually know for certain, that there were no plans prior to that point either.

During the late 70's and 80's, all eyes were focused on the "parkway" system, some of which grew into 385, and other components of which were never built.  (E.g., the Mud Island freeway will never happen, and the plans for a freeway along the southern edge of the county seems to have been axed given DeSoto County's push to have I-269 a few miles to the south.  But the the "Great River Parkway" seems likely to eventually be built as I-69, albeit on a somewhat different alignment than I grew up dreaming of.)

Even with those ambitious plans, Lamar was just Lamar, although I cannot say whether the thinking was that land acquisition would be too expensive, or that Lamar's current configuration was appropriate given the trucking hubs and railroad yard in the area, or...  (I focused on the pretty maps, rather than the words.)
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: MikeTheActuary on June 26, 2018, 11:13:42 AM
The I-55 (aka US 61/64/70/79) bridge was inadequate 50 years ago, today it's a genuine relic!  AFAIK, there are no standing plans to replace it, although the plans for rebuilding the 55/Crump interchange to the east were published about 7-8 years ago but apparently the funding that was to be applied vanished shortly thereafter (except as a pathway to Graceland, I-55 is certainly TNDOT's most unwanted child!).

Just adding to my prior post:

It's my understanding that updates to the old bridge and/or a third crossing have been on Memphis' wish list since shortly after the Hernando DeSoto bridge was completed, with interest slightly elevated as more awareness of seismic issues was gained.

However, the third crossing never translated even into a dotted line on the maps that decorated my walls...at least not one put there by the makers of the maps.  :)

The local planning officials 30 years ago had a preference for a southern crossing that somehow feed directly the industrial areas of Presidents Island and southwest Memphis...but given lack of funding, etc., such was little more than a pipe dream.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: MikeTheActuary on August 06, 2018, 01:40:22 AM
My father worked most of his career with the Memphis/Shelby Count Office of Planning and Development.  I grew up with various iterations of long-range transportation plans for Memphis attached to by bedroom walls, and I salvaged a few items when I emptied my parents' house a year or two ago.

I know by first- and second-hand means that there were no plans to upgrade Lamar Avenue to a freeway in the mid-70's or thereafter.  I suspect, but don't actually know for certain, that there were no plans prior to that point either.

During the late 70's and 80's, all eyes were focused on the "parkway" system, some of which grew into 385, and other components of which were never built.  (E.g., the Mud Island freeway will never happen, and the plans for a freeway along the southern edge of the county seems to have been axed given DeSoto County's push to have I-269 a few miles to the south.  But the the "Great River Parkway" seems likely to eventually be built as I-69, albeit on a somewhat different alignment than I grew up dreaming of.)

Even with those ambitious plans, Lamar was just Lamar, although I cannot say whether the thinking was that land acquisition would be too expensive, or that Lamar's current configuration was appropriate given the trucking hubs and railroad yard in the area, or...  (I focused on the pretty maps, rather than the words.)

Looks like I need to correct the above a little bit.

While looking for a reference to use in cleaning up a Wikipedia article, I came across a wonderful collection of planning documents (http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/398/Neighborhood-Plans) from Memphis/Shelby County.

Of particular interest are the maps from 1968 describing plans for the transportation system in 1990.  The south half of the map (http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19957/1968-Bottom?bidId=) shows an upgraded Lamar Avenue beginning at Winchester (or maybe "New Getwell"), running southeast into Desoto County.  I don't know whether it envisioned full freeway status, or perhaps the it's just the current alignment plus the additional interchanges now being planned.

Both halves of the map are interesting to look at in terms of parkways that were and weren't built.

Oh, and if you want to see my favorite map of those that hung on my bedroom wall growing up...it's available too. (http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3356/Memphis2000Map?bidId=)  It's just a generic, colorful urban planning map; not the one that had future parkways laid out.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: lordsutch on August 21, 2018, 11:52:49 PM
Of particular interest are the maps from 1968 describing plans for the transportation system in 1990.  The south half of the map (http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19957/1968-Bottom?bidId=) shows an upgraded Lamar Avenue beginning at Winchester (or maybe "New Getwell"), running southeast into Desoto County.  I don't know whether it envisioned full freeway status, or perhaps the it's just the current alignment plus the additional interchanges now being planned.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Perkins/Raines Road interchange was part of a much grander plan for a freeway upgrade south of Winchester to tie into Mississippi's plans for US 78; it's on the same scale as a TDOT interstate project of the 1970s rather than something like the first generation Briley Parkway or New Getwell. By the time upgrades were needed further south in the 80s, Memphis was in TDOT's naughty box for killing I-40, Sundquist (despite being from Memphis) dumped all the state's road cash into I-840 to avoid federal environmental reviews, and the last thing the powers that be in the city wanted to do was create yet another easy route out of the city into DeSoto County for the white middle class.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: byoungblood on July 03, 2019, 12:36:36 PM
Resurrecting this because some work is FINALLY being done along Lamar Ave/US-78. Just in time for me to move after having driven up and down that road for the past 10 years!

TNDOT started doing earthwork roughly 60 days ago, appears that they're going to start widening right at the MS/TN state line, and proceeding up to Shelby Dr at this point. Major earthwork has been ongoing around the Holmes Rd intersection, which looking at the bid documents, will be grade separated (they're only 20 years behind on that!). There also has been some work being done to the bridge just north of Shelby Dr crossing John's Creek, but work is only being done on the WB side, so it may just be an emergency repair. Not surprising given the decrepit state this road is in along its length.

Speaking about the road in general, most of the congestion, at least in my opinion, is self-inflicted on the stretch between the state line and Winchester Rd. There has been little to no effort put into mitigating the impact of the traffic lights along the road. Several intersections have left turn signals that turn on when the left turn lanes are unoccupied, or needlessly give greens to non-existent traffic (Tuggle Rd, I'm looking at you!) on one side when a car is waiting on the other side of the intersection. Get a green at one light, just to have the next one flip to red a quarter mile away. Factor in trucks two abreast on the road most of the day, it is difficult for traffic to maintain any kind of even flow with it being so regularly broken up by the lights on the road.

Looks like the completion date is slated for 2021, so I'll (thankfully) be long gone before it is done.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: froggie on July 04, 2019, 07:54:11 AM
^ Where did you find the bid docs?  I couldn't find anything on TDOT's website but I did find this TDOT news release (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2018/6/6/tdot-receives--71-1-million-grant-to-fund-lamar-avenue-projects.html) that gives a rough timeline for the Lamar Ave improvements.
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: MikeTheActuary on July 04, 2019, 08:51:21 AM
^ Where did you find the bid docs?  I couldn't find anything on TDOT's website but I did find this TDOT news release (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2018/6/6/tdot-receives--71-1-million-grant-to-fund-lamar-avenue-projects.html) that gives a rough timeline for the Lamar Ave improvements.

These aren't the bid docs (TDOT's website is frustratingly opaque at times), but someone more skilled with looking up such information might find clues in this news report: https://dailymemphian.com/article/551/Bids-top-62-million-on-first-round-of-Lamar-Ave-upgrades

(The Daily Memphian is an online newspaper started up by some journalists who were let go from the Commercial Appeal during its conversion to being the the Memphis Edition of USA Today.)

EDIT:  See also https://dailymemphian.com/section/businesstransportationlogistics/article/1330/Lamar-Avenue-overhaul-set-for-spring-launch
Title: Re: Lamar Avenue Improvements (Memphis)
Post by: byoungblood on July 10, 2019, 09:36:54 PM
^ Where did you find the bid docs?  I couldn't find anything on TDOT's website but I did find this TDOT news release (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2018/6/6/tdot-receives--71-1-million-grant-to-fund-lamar-avenue-projects.html) that gives a rough timeline for the Lamar Ave improvements.

I found the bid number on the TDOT site, then googled it. Found the bid docs on a 3rd party site. Pretty sad when you have to do it that way because the gov'ts website is that hard to navigate.