Proposed Kirby-Whitten Parkway (Shelby Farms Parkway) Shelby County



NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Kirby-Whitten Parkway (Shelby Farms Parkway) in Shelby County, Tennessee. The Federal Highway Administration issued the ROD on November 13, 2019. Download copies of the ROD (PDF) here. Hard copies can be viewed at the following locations.

Memphis Public Library - Poplar-White Station Branch

5094 Poplar Avenue

Memphis, TN 38117 Shelby Farms Park Visitor Center

6903 Great View Drive North

Memphis, TN 38134

*The ROD is a large file consisting of 6,588 pages or 515 MB. For more information:

Erick Hunt-Hawkins

TDOT Environmental Division

James K Polk Building, Suite 900

505 Deaderick Street

Nashville, Tennessee 37243

Office: (615) 253-5163

Email: Erick.Hunt-Hawkins@tn.gov

Overview The city of Memphis, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), is proposing to construct a new transportation corridor, known as Kirby-Whitten Parkway (Shelby Farms Parkway), that will extend 2.5 miles, from Walnut Grove Road to Macon Road, in Memphis, Shelby County. The roadway will be an access-controlled facility with either four or five lanes, depending on location. The proposed project is part of a larger project that involves a 10-mile-long north-to-south corridor in eastern Shelby County. The roadway has been constructed from East Shelby Drive to Humphrey’s Boulevard. Project Location Map

Purpose and Need Originally planned in the 1980s, Kirby-Whitten Parkway was intended to provide a north-south route between Interstate 240 and Germantown Parkway. Since then, the route has been redesigned to address environmental concerns, public recreation needs, and stakeholder input. The primary purpose of the currently proposed roadway is to improve regional mobility, connectivity, and accessibility for the east Memphis area. The new route would greatly reduce congestion and lessen travel times along existing routes. It would also result in a more efficient, safer roadway, providing a facility that could accommodate future growth. Additionally, a new north-south route would complete the one-mile grid system that is the basis of the Memphis regional transportation plans. Proposed Design The proposed Kirby-Whitten Parkway passes through Shelby Farms Park, a 4500-acre urban park. The existing road, Farm Road, is a two-lane facility. The Selected Alternative design, known as Build Alternative Q, includes new construction and improvements to the existing road system. The new facility consists of a four-lane section on new alignment, from Walnut Grove Road to Mullins Station Road. This section will include four 12-foot travel lanes (two in each direction), separated by a median, with 12-foot outside shoulders and 7-foot inside shoulders. The remainder of the proposed parkway follows existing Whitten Road, from Mullins Station Road to Macon Road, and consists of five lanes. This section will include four 12-foot travel lanes (two in each direction), a dedicated center turn lane, with 5-foot sidewalks and 6-foot bike lanes on both sides of the road.