North Second Street Corridor Improvements

Overview

The North Second Street corridor improvement project is a joint effort between the City of Memphis, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The proposed improvements would extend approximately 4.5 miles, from Interstate 40 to US 51 (State Route 3) in Memphis, Shelby County.

Purpose and Need

The purpose of the proposed project is to 1) provide a viable secondary access route into the Memphis Central Business District (CBD) from communities north of downtown, while improving traffic circulation within the study corridor; and 2) to stimulate economic development by providing infrastructure that will maintain the existing momentum for reinvestment and create new investment in residential and commercial ventures along the corridor.

Overall, the proposed project is intended to serve as an improved gateway into downtown Memphis through the Uptown Community.

Proposed Design

Several build alternatives were studied for the North Second Street corridor improvement project. The selected design, referred to as the Preferred Alternative, begins near the I-40 and North Second Street interchange, extends north, crosses Wolf River, and ends at the US 51/SR 3 intersection.

The Preferred Alternative maintains North Second and North Third Streets as two-way streets, from Jackson Avenue, near I-40, to a proposed roundabout at Henry Avenue. North Third Street would extend on new alignment to connect with the roundabout.

Between Jackson Avenue and the roundabout, proposed improvements would include sidewalks on both sides of the roadway and a bike lane on one side of the roadway. Between A.W. Willis Avenue to the roundabout, the design maintains on-street parking on one side of North Second Street and on both sides of North Third Street.

From north of the proposed roundabout to Wolf River, North Second Street would follow the existing alignment and consist of two lanes in each direction, divided by a raised median, with sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the roadway.

At Wolf River, a two-lane bridge would be constructed parallel to the existing bridge. Once completed, the new structure would carry southbound traffic and the old structure would carry northbound traffic.

North of Wolf River, North Second Street would continue on new alignment to Harvester Lane, where it would tie into Whitney Avenue to the end of the project at the US-51/SR-3 intersection.

Between Wolf River and Harvester Lane, the Preferred Alternative would consist of two lanes in each direction with a depressed median and paved shoulders to accommodate bicycles. A multi-use path is proposed for the west side of the roadway. The path would transition to a 5-foot sidewalk near Harvester Lane.

Between Harvester Lane and US-51/SR-3, North Second Street would consist of two lanes in each direction with sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the roadway.

Several local roads, located between Chelsea Avenue and Cedar Avenue, will be modified as part of the proposed project to improve access control and safety. The roads currently intersect with North Second Street; however, modifications to these roads will not adversely impact access to properties or traffic operations. The proposed modifications are as follows.

• Henry Avenue on the east side of North Second Street will no longer connect to North Second Street.
  
• North Third Street will be closed between Henry Avenue and Bickford Avenue.
  
• Cul-de-sacs will be formed where North Second Street intersects with Hickory Avenue and Reno Avenue.
  
• Leo Avenue and Fred Street across from Mud Island Road will be closed. (Access to properties along these short roads will be provided via Mahannah Avenue.)