Project Status - October 2009

The Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Poplar Southern Corridor Railroad Crossings Study team, led by Dalhoff Thomas Daws, have completed the public input and initial crossing selection phase of the Project. That phase consisted of holding four public meetings, four stakeholder meetings, and the development of a crossing ranking criteria matrix. From the combined input of all information sources, the Team ranked the 16 arterial crossings (refer to Library section of this website for information and mapping of 16 arterial crossings) according to six criteria: Congestion Relief and Mobility, Economic Opportunities, Safety, Public Support, Environmental, and Funding. The ranking criteria matrix led to the selection of six potential crossings that best meet the MPO's study goals.

Note: The representative crossings were not selected according to their matrix ranking, though more weight was given to the higher ranked crossings. Nor were they selected according to which crossing offered the least difficulty and expense in making improvements to the crossing. The crossings were selected according to how "representative" they are of crossings throughout the MPO area. Initially, six crossings were considered to have attributes similar to crossings throughout the MPO area. Those six crossings are: Perkins Extended, Mendenhall Road, Kirby Parkway, West Street, Houston Levee Road, and Byhalia Road.

Attributes of the Six Crossings

The six crossings were evaluated according to the attributes specific to the particular crossing. In this way two crossings could be identified that have characteristics that are representative of railroad crossings throughout the MPO area. Among the attributes identified are land use and zoning, complexity of road system in proximity to the crossing, grade changes entering and exiting the crossing, the proximity of existing grade separated crossings, unique utility situations, traffic volume and congestion, transit, crash data, proximity to medical facilities, emergency service access, and overall interconnectivity.

Members of the Project Team (Dalhoff Thomas Daws and Kimley-Horn) and the Metropolitan Planning Organization reviewed the attributes of each of the six crossings in the context of the MPO's long-range transportation goals. In the final analysis the two that are considered most representative of crossings throughout the Metropolitan Planning Organization area are the Mendenhall Road crossing and the Houston Levee Road crossing.

Mendenhall Road

The Norfolk-Southern Railroad, at the Mendenhall Road crossing, is paralleled on the north side by Poplar Avenue and on the southeast side by Southern Avenue. The primary land use in the area is commercial/retail, although there is single-family residential (RS-10) southwest quadrant of the intersection west of Williamsburg Village and multi-family residential (R-MM) south of Williamsburg Village. Mendenhall's approach from the south offers a significant vertical grade change - approximately 12 feet. This change in grade is conducive to creating a grade separated crossing. The grade change from the north is insignificant. The Mendenhall Road crossing has a current average daily traffic volume of 20,660 that is estimated to increase to 33,300 by the year 2030. Mendenhall Road offers connectivity to I-240 and accessibility for emergency services.

• Mendenhall Road Area Map
• Mendenhall Road Utilities Map

Houston Levee Road

The Norfolk-Southern Railroad, at the Houston Levee Road crossing, is paralleled on the north side by Poplar Avenue. The primary land use in the area is commercial/retail. The northeast corner of Houston Levee Road and Poplar Avenue is proposed to include a retirement community in addition to the commercial uses. The Houston Levee crossing has a current average daily traffic volume of 21,800 that is estimated to increase to 38,400 by the year 2030. The major considerations in selecting this crossing are Houston Levee's interconnectivity and accessibility. Houston Levee Road connects to Highway 64 and I-40 north of the crossing and south of the crossing to SR 385 and ultimately to the I-269 International Trade Corridor in DeSoto County. This will make Houston Levee one the major north/south road systems in the MPO area.

• Houston Levee Road Area Map
• Houston Levee Road Utilities Map

Two other important crossings that weren't selected are the Highland Street crossing (University of Memphis area) and the West Street crossing (Germantown). These crossings are noteworthy because of the potential impacts to traffic congestion, interconnectivity, and emergency services access that improvements to these crossings would have on the Memphis/Shelby County/MPO area. These were not selected primarily because each of them has undergone multiple prior studies. These prior studies are of value to the Poplar-Southern Corridor Study and will be used, when appropriate, as a supplement to the findings in the Poplar-Southern Corridor Study Action Plan.

The team is currently in the beginning stages of an in-depth evaluation of these two crossings. This consists of determining the appropriate crossing improvement scenario for each crossing. Possible scenarios are a safety improvements scenario, a road over rail grade separation scenario, a rail over road grade separation scenario, and a "do nothing" scenario. Once the proper scenario is selected for each crossing them Project Team will evaluate construction costs, traffic flows, the potential impacts to surrounding land uses, and the overall economic impact associated with that scenario. Scenario selection should be complete in December 2009 and the Study Action Plan in April 2010.