MEMPHIS, TN
Popular bike/ped trail continues trek toward downtown Memphis
Neel-Schaffer was selected by the City of Memphis to provide engineering design services for a one-mile extension of the Shelby Farms Greenline, a popular bicycle/pedestrian trail that runs through the heart of Midtown Memphis.
A major feature of this extension will be a bridge over an active CN Railroad line. In August 2017, the City hosted a public forum seeking input from residents on their preference for the bridge design. Two alternative designs were presented. One would focus on the architecture of the bridge, creating a more aesthetically pleasing, iconic look that would be more visible to passersby. The other would feature a simpler design that puts more emphasis on amenities for the bridge and the proposed Tillman and Flicker trailheads.
The project will extend the trail west from Tillman Road to Flicker Street, allowing users to connect to nearby Tobey Park. Other components of the design will include signage and striping.
Neel-Schaffer has teamed with Powers Hill, Alta Planning + Design, Fisher Arnold, and Geotechnology for this project, which has a construction price tag of approximately $3.5 million, and is being funded in part through the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Local Programs Development Office.
The project entails coordinating right-of-way acquisition between landowners, and other governmental agencies. The design will conform to standards set by the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, the group that oversees the Shelby Farms Greenline.
The Greenline is an ever-expanding urban trail that connects Midtown Memphis to Shelby Farms Park, and with this project will continue its migration west toward downtown Memphis. A construction timeline has not yet been set.
