Urban Riverside Environmental Analysis

The need for a major highway facility precipitated a total analysis of the riverfront area adjacent to downtown Memphis, TN. Realizing the impact potential of such a facility on the riverfront area, a multidisciplinary team of professionals was established for the study analysis. This team, in consort with local agencies and private interests, established an alignment and design features for the facility. Early in the study, it became apparent that the development of a detailed plan for the entire riverfront area was not only impractical but most probably undesirable since the various governmental agencies involved in the study area were unable, either due to finances or because of project priorities, to become involved in the analysis sufficiently to develop definitive plans. The resultant design is one generally accepted as best when all factors are considered. The plan permits alternative redevelopment for the competing land uses while permitting the major project to proceed, thereby being responsive to the difficulty encountered in scheduling concurrent detailed planning for multiple uses in the corridor.