Sam Cooper Boulevard
Encyclopedia
Sam Cooper Boulevard is a six-lane controlled-access parkway/expressway in Memphis
, Tennessee
, U.S.A.
. The more recent western segment of the road follows a parkway design, the older eastern portion which was proposed and constructed as a segment of Interstate 40
(I-40) is built as an expressway, without at-grade intersections and traffic lights. The western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard is at East Parkway North. At the western termination point of the road there is a short concurrency of East Parkway North with U.S. Route 70
, U.S. Route 79
. From its western end, Sam Cooper Boulevard continues east for 5.8 miles (9.3 km) to reach its eastern terminus at the Interstate 40
/Interstate 240
interchange.
The road was originally planned in the 1950s. It was proposed as a segment of I-40 that would intersect the center of Memphis and continue west to Arkansas
. The proposed route would have cut through Overton Park
, an old forest public park in Memphis. Following a United States Supreme Court decision in 1971 the route was revised, I-40 was routed around Memphis in the north and plans of routing an Interstate highway through the city were abandoned. Ownership of the completed segments of the highway was transferred to the City of Memphis. As a road that is owned and maintained by the City of Memphis, no route number is assigned to Sam Cooper Boulevard.
In the 1950s, Interstate 240
(I-240) was planned as a complete loop around Memphis, consisting of a southern leg and a northern leg. Interstate 40
(I-40) was proposed to be routed through the center of the City of Memphis and to continue west into Arkansas
over the Hernando de Soto Bridge
, which was opened in 1973 and carries the traffic on modern I-40 over the Mississippi River
. The I-240 loop was planned to route traffic not destined for Memphis around the city and to improve the flow of increasing traffic. The proposed I-240 loop would connect westbound and eastbound traffic to I-40 and southbound and northbound traffic to Interstate 55
(I-55).
What is now known as Sam Cooper Boulevard was planned as an extension of I-40, intersecting Memphis and distributing eastbound and westbound traffic with a destination in Memphis within the city. After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling stopped the plans to complete the section of I-40 cutting through Memphis in 1971, I-40 was re-routed. The routing of modern I-40 coincides with the proposed routing of the northern leg of I-240. Instead of the proposed I-240 loop around Memphis, the modern routing designates I-240 as the southern leg of the loop and I-40 as the northern leg of the loop.
From the west to the east, the proposed routing of Sam Cooper Boulevard coincides with the route of modern I-40 from the Hernando de Soto Bridge in downtown Memphis
to the modern I-40/I-240 interchange west of North Bellevue Boulevard in midtown Memphis
. East of the I-40/I-240 interchange, the proposed route of Sam Cooper Boulevard would have been routed almost due east for circa 1.2 miles (2 km), parallel to and south of Overton Avenue and north of Peach Avenue until it reached Evergreen Street. From there, it would have continued northeast for about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) to reach the intersection of Galloway Avenue and North Mc Lean Boulevard. From there, the route would have continued roughly to the east, parallel to and about 0.2 miles (321.9 m) south of North Parkway, just south of the Memphis Zoo
and cutting through the northern portion of Overton Park
, to connect to the western terminus of modern Sam Cooper Boulevard at East Parkway North. At the western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard there is a concurrency of East Parkway North with U.S. Route 70
, U.S. Route 79
for 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Summer Avenue and north of Union Avenue. East Parkway North also concurs with Tennessee State Route 277.
of Memphis. Cooper used his wealth to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
and the University of Tennessee Medical School
.
, in the northeastern quadrant of Memphis. The portion of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street was never built as planned.
The unbuilt portion west of East Parkway North was not completed because it was proposed to go through Overton Park, the Memphis Zoo, and several historic neighborhoods of Memphis. Citizens residing in the neighborhoods of midtown Memphis along the route of the proposed highway were able to stop the route cutting through the old forest of Overton Park in the lawsuit Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
.
Once the case was decided by the United States Supreme Court, the ownership of the completed segments of Sam Cooper Boulevard was given to the City of Memphis. Instead of following the planned route cutting through the center of Memphis, I-40 was routed around Memphis in the north. The new routing of I-40 to the north of Memphis follows the proposed northern leg of the I-240 loop.
Construction of the route segment of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street and east of East Parkway North began in 2001 and was completed in 2003. The construction did not follow the originally proposed expressway design for the road but implemented a parkway design with at-grade intersections, a raised median, traffic lights and sidewalks for pedestrians.
In 2001, the City of Memphis began construction on an extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of the North Highland Street exit. After completion of the first phase of construction, Sam Cooper Boulevard transitioned into Broad Avenue between North Holmes Street and Vandalia Street, about 0.4 miles (643.7 m) west of North Highland Street. The route coinciding with Broad Avenue had several intersections with traffic signals and two major railroad crossings, creating traffic congestion at peak times. The extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard was routed about 300 to 400 ft (91.4 to 121.9 m) south of Broad Avenue. Several of the intersections were eliminated, a viaduct was constructed to avoid the railroad crossings and the route was extended to East Parkway North.
The original route east of North Highland Street, was designed as a six-lane expressway without intersections, traffic signals and without sidewalks for pedestrians, allowing only motorized traffic on the road. The extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of the North Highland Street exit was constructed as a six-lane controlled-access parkway. Pedestrians are allowed on the route on sidewalks installed on both sides of the parkway west of Vandalia Street, located about 1400 feet (426.7 m) west of North Highland Street. The median is raised and there are at-grade intersections present equipped with traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. The segment of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street and east of East Parkway North was completed in 2003.
neighborhood. The Memphis Police Department
(MPD) reported 13 shootings between August and October of that year. A spokesman of the MPD stated that only vehicle damage had occurred and that no persons were hurt in the shootings. Police recovered a nine millimeter bullet from the front door of one vehicle. A special police task force was assigned to the case. It is not known if the shooter was caught.
The Memphis Flyer
cites Robert Montague, executive director of the Binghampton Development Corporation: "When they built Sam Cooper, this area really got buried". Citizens suggested changes in the zoning and a re-design of the Broad Avenue area north of Sam Cooper Boulevard and south of Summer Avenue to re-vitalize that part of the neighborhood and attract business and residents. The following year, trees and shrubs were planted alongside Sam Cooper Boulevard and in the median west of North Highland Street. A few decorative flowerbeds were also installed in the median of the road to enhance the parkway design of the road.
Sam Cooper Boulevard is owned and maintained by the City of Memphis. No route number is assigned to Sam Cooper Boulevard and it is not a designated business route
for interstate traffic headed for Memphis. The exit number
ing system on Sam Cooper Boulevard has not been changed since the route was planned. The exits are still numbered as if I-40 ran along Sam Cooper Boulevard as it was proposed to be built straight through Memphis to connect to Arkansas over the Hernando de Soto Bridge.
The exits for I-40 along the proposed route segment through the center of Memphis, west of East Parkway North, that was never completed were planned in downtown Memphis (planned as exit 1), at Danny Thomas Boulevard (planned as exit 2), west of North Bellevue Boulevard as an interchange with modern day I-240 (planned as exit 3) and at Stonewall Street in the Evergreen District
of midtown Memphis (planned as exit 4). I-40 exits were proposed at East Parkway North (planned as exit 5) and Tillman Street (planned as exit 6).
The planned exit 1 along Sam Cooper Boulevard exists as exit 1 and exit 1A of modern day I-40 in downtown Memphis just south of the Pyramid Arena
. Exit 1 serves traffic to and from North Riverside Drive and Front Street; at exit 1A westbound traffic exits to North 2nd Street and eastbound traffic enters I-40 from North 3rd Street. Planned exit 2 coincides with modern exits 1B–D on I-40 at Danny Thomas Boulevard. Planned exit 3 exists as exit 1E on modern I-40 at the I-40/I-240 interchange west of North Bellevue Boulevard in the Medical district
of Memphis. Planned exit 4 at Stonewall Street was never constructed. Planned exit 5 is an at-grade intersection with traffic signals at the western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard at East Parkway North, and planned exit 6 is an at-grade intersection with traffic lights at Tillman Street. Exits 7–9 and Exits 10A and 10B were constructed as proposed.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The more recent western segment of the road follows a parkway design, the older eastern portion which was proposed and constructed as a segment of Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in Tennessee
In the state of Tennessee, Interstate 40 traverses the entirety of the state from west to east, running from the Mississippi River at the Arkansas border to the northern base of the Great Smoky Mountains at the North Carolina border...
(I-40) is built as an expressway, without at-grade intersections and traffic lights. The western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard is at East Parkway North. At the western termination point of the road there is a short concurrency of East Parkway North with U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79 is a north–south United States highway. The route is a northeast-southwest diagonal, with both east–west segments and north–south segments equally mixed. The highway's northern terminus is in Russellville, Kentucky, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 68 and KY 80...
. From its western end, Sam Cooper Boulevard continues east for 5.8 miles (9.3 km) to reach its eastern terminus at the Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
/Interstate 240
Interstate 240 (Tennessee)
Interstate 240 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Running or 31.0 km, it loops southward from Interstate 40 in east Memphis, then turning west at TN 385 . At I-55, the highway turns north and runs through midtown to end at I-40...
interchange.
The road was originally planned in the 1950s. It was proposed as a segment of I-40 that would intersect the center of Memphis and continue west to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. The proposed route would have cut through Overton Park
Overton Park
Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...
, an old forest public park in Memphis. Following a United States Supreme Court decision in 1971 the route was revised, I-40 was routed around Memphis in the north and plans of routing an Interstate highway through the city were abandoned. Ownership of the completed segments of the highway was transferred to the City of Memphis. As a road that is owned and maintained by the City of Memphis, no route number is assigned to Sam Cooper Boulevard.
Proposed route
Interstate 240 (Tennessee)
Interstate 240 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Running or 31.0 km, it loops southward from Interstate 40 in east Memphis, then turning west at TN 385 . At I-55, the highway turns north and runs through midtown to end at I-40...
(I-240) was planned as a complete loop around Memphis, consisting of a southern leg and a northern leg. Interstate 40
Interstate 40 in Tennessee
In the state of Tennessee, Interstate 40 traverses the entirety of the state from west to east, running from the Mississippi River at the Arkansas border to the northern base of the Great Smoky Mountains at the North Carolina border...
(I-40) was proposed to be routed through the center of the City of Memphis and to continue west into Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
over the Hernando de Soto Bridge
Hernando de Soto Bridge
The Panda Bridge is a through arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee...
, which was opened in 1973 and carries the traffic on modern I-40 over the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The I-240 loop was planned to route traffic not destined for Memphis around the city and to improve the flow of increasing traffic. The proposed I-240 loop would connect westbound and eastbound traffic to I-40 and southbound and northbound traffic to Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
(I-55).
What is now known as Sam Cooper Boulevard was planned as an extension of I-40, intersecting Memphis and distributing eastbound and westbound traffic with a destination in Memphis within the city. After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling stopped the plans to complete the section of I-40 cutting through Memphis in 1971, I-40 was re-routed. The routing of modern I-40 coincides with the proposed routing of the northern leg of I-240. Instead of the proposed I-240 loop around Memphis, the modern routing designates I-240 as the southern leg of the loop and I-40 as the northern leg of the loop.
From the west to the east, the proposed routing of Sam Cooper Boulevard coincides with the route of modern I-40 from the Hernando de Soto Bridge in downtown Memphis
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south and I-240 to the east, where it abuts Midtown Memphis....
to the modern I-40/I-240 interchange west of North Bellevue Boulevard in midtown Memphis
Midtown, Memphis
- Overview :Architecturally, Midtown Memphis, Tennessee is marked with residential vintage housing, specialty stores, and high-rise buildings, often all located on the same avenue...
. East of the I-40/I-240 interchange, the proposed route of Sam Cooper Boulevard would have been routed almost due east for circa 1.2 miles (2 km), parallel to and south of Overton Avenue and north of Peach Avenue until it reached Evergreen Street. From there, it would have continued northeast for about 0.5 miles (804.7 m) to reach the intersection of Galloway Avenue and North Mc Lean Boulevard. From there, the route would have continued roughly to the east, parallel to and about 0.2 miles (321.9 m) south of North Parkway, just south of the Memphis Zoo
Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo, located in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years. The land currently designated to the Memphis Zoo was defined by the...
and cutting through the northern portion of Overton Park
Overton Park
Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...
, to connect to the western terminus of modern Sam Cooper Boulevard at East Parkway North. At the western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard there is a concurrency of East Parkway North with U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79
U.S. Route 79 is a north–south United States highway. The route is a northeast-southwest diagonal, with both east–west segments and north–south segments equally mixed. The highway's northern terminus is in Russellville, Kentucky, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 68 and KY 80...
for 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Summer Avenue and north of Union Avenue. East Parkway North also concurs with Tennessee State Route 277.
Namesake
In 1968, the road was named after Sam Cooper, a Memphis businessman and long time president of the Humko Corporation, a refinery of vegetable oils. He also was the vice president of the Federal Reserve BankFederal Reserve Bank
The twelve Federal Reserve Banks form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The twelve federal reserve banks together divide the nation into twelve Federal Reserve Districts, the twelve banking districts created by the Federal Reserve Act of...
of Memphis. Cooper used his wealth to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In...
and the University of Tennessee Medical School
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and residents in pediatrics,...
.
Citizen protests
In 1971, a United States Supreme Court ruling stopped an extension of I-40 through Overton Park. Sam Cooper Boulevard was originally planned as an extension of I-40 to intersect the City of Memphis. The proposed route was completed as proposed east of North Highland Street and west of I-240 in BerclairBerclair, Memphis
Berclair is a district of Memphis, Tennessee. It is named after a major street in this district.-Geography:Berclair is bordered by the CSX railroad in the North; Interstate 40, Covington Pike, and Stratford Road in the East; Summer Avenue in the South and Graham Street in the West.-Development:The...
, in the northeastern quadrant of Memphis. The portion of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street was never built as planned.
The unbuilt portion west of East Parkway North was not completed because it was proposed to go through Overton Park, the Memphis Zoo, and several historic neighborhoods of Memphis. Citizens residing in the neighborhoods of midtown Memphis along the route of the proposed highway were able to stop the route cutting through the old forest of Overton Park in the lawsuit Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 , is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that established the basic legal framework for judicial review of the actions of administrative agencies...
.
Once the case was decided by the United States Supreme Court, the ownership of the completed segments of Sam Cooper Boulevard was given to the City of Memphis. Instead of following the planned route cutting through the center of Memphis, I-40 was routed around Memphis in the north. The new routing of I-40 to the north of Memphis follows the proposed northern leg of the I-240 loop.
Construction of the route segment of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street and east of East Parkway North began in 2001 and was completed in 2003. The construction did not follow the originally proposed expressway design for the road but implemented a parkway design with at-grade intersections, a raised median, traffic lights and sidewalks for pedestrians.
Extension to East Parkway
The original route east of North Highland Street, was designed as a six-lane expressway without intersections, traffic signals and without sidewalks for pedestrians, allowing only motorized traffic on the road. The extension of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of the North Highland Street exit was constructed as a six-lane controlled-access parkway. Pedestrians are allowed on the route on sidewalks installed on both sides of the parkway west of Vandalia Street, located about 1400 feet (426.7 m) west of North Highland Street. The median is raised and there are at-grade intersections present equipped with traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. The segment of Sam Cooper Boulevard west of North Highland Street and east of East Parkway North was completed in 2003.
Random shootings at cars
In 2004, it was reported by local newsmedia that several cars driving on Sam Cooper Boulevard had been shot at randomly in the section west of Tillman Street and east of North Hollywood Street in the BinghamptonBinghampton, Memphis
Binghampton is a neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. It is named after Bingham Street, a street in this district. Binghampton is bordered by the CSX railroad in the North, Holmes Street in the East, Poplar Avenue in the South and East Parkway North and North Trezevant Street in the West...
neighborhood. The Memphis Police Department
Memphis Police Department
The Memphis Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the City of Memphis, Tennessee.-Administrative Services:Provides services that enable the other programs to effectively respond to service calls...
(MPD) reported 13 shootings between August and October of that year. A spokesman of the MPD stated that only vehicle damage had occurred and that no persons were hurt in the shootings. Police recovered a nine millimeter bullet from the front door of one vehicle. A special police task force was assigned to the case. It is not known if the shooter was caught.
Revitalization attempts
In 2006, citizens from the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis voiced concerns about negative effects that the completion of the western portion of Sam Cooper Boulevard has had on the community. Claims were made that construction of the road between North Highland Street and East Parkway North cut the Binghampton area in half by creating "high-speed traffic" and "confusing traffic patterns". It was mentioned that the routing of Sam Cooper Boulevard to the south of Broad Avenue had "effectively made" the circa 1.4 miles (2.3 km) long stretch of Broad Avenue a "ghost town", creating vacant lots in the partly industrial area and an unsafe neighborhood.The Memphis Flyer
Memphis Flyer
The Memphis Flyer is a free weekly alternative newspaper serving the greater Memphis, Tennessee area. Liberal in its politics, the Flyer covers local politics, as well as music and entertainment, regional sports, and human interest stories. Circulation: 55,000The Flyer was founded in 1989 by...
cites Robert Montague, executive director of the Binghampton Development Corporation: "When they built Sam Cooper, this area really got buried". Citizens suggested changes in the zoning and a re-design of the Broad Avenue area north of Sam Cooper Boulevard and south of Summer Avenue to re-vitalize that part of the neighborhood and attract business and residents. The following year, trees and shrubs were planted alongside Sam Cooper Boulevard and in the median west of North Highland Street. A few decorative flowerbeds were also installed in the median of the road to enhance the parkway design of the road.
Proposed exits
Business route
A business route in the United States and Canada is a short special route connected to a parent numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or town, and finally reconnecting with the same parent numbered highway again at its...
for interstate traffic headed for Memphis. The exit number
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....
ing system on Sam Cooper Boulevard has not been changed since the route was planned. The exits are still numbered as if I-40 ran along Sam Cooper Boulevard as it was proposed to be built straight through Memphis to connect to Arkansas over the Hernando de Soto Bridge.
The exits for I-40 along the proposed route segment through the center of Memphis, west of East Parkway North, that was never completed were planned in downtown Memphis (planned as exit 1), at Danny Thomas Boulevard (planned as exit 2), west of North Bellevue Boulevard as an interchange with modern day I-240 (planned as exit 3) and at Stonewall Street in the Evergreen District
Evergreen, Memphis
-Geography:The most understood borders are Poplar Avenue to the south, McLean Boulevard to the east, North Parkway to the north, and Watkins Street to the west. Evergreen is located in the area of Memphis known as Midtown...
of midtown Memphis (planned as exit 4). I-40 exits were proposed at East Parkway North (planned as exit 5) and Tillman Street (planned as exit 6).
The planned exit 1 along Sam Cooper Boulevard exists as exit 1 and exit 1A of modern day I-40 in downtown Memphis just south of the Pyramid Arena
Pyramid Arena
The Pyramid Arena is a 20,142-seat arena located in downtown Memphis at the banks of the Mississippi River. The facility was built in 1991 and was originally owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County. Its unique structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, known for...
. Exit 1 serves traffic to and from North Riverside Drive and Front Street; at exit 1A westbound traffic exits to North 2nd Street and eastbound traffic enters I-40 from North 3rd Street. Planned exit 2 coincides with modern exits 1B–D on I-40 at Danny Thomas Boulevard. Planned exit 3 exists as exit 1E on modern I-40 at the I-40/I-240 interchange west of North Bellevue Boulevard in the Medical district
Medical District, Memphis
The Memphis Medical District is an area which was created to provide a central location for medical care, serving both Memphis and the Mid-South.-Geography:Relatively small in area, the district is located between downtown and midtown...
of Memphis. Planned exit 4 at Stonewall Street was never constructed. Planned exit 5 is an at-grade intersection with traffic signals at the western terminus of Sam Cooper Boulevard at East Parkway North, and planned exit 6 is an at-grade intersection with traffic lights at Tillman Street. Exits 7–9 and Exits 10A and 10B were constructed as proposed.
Existing exits
The following table lists the existing exits and intersections of Sam Cooper Boulevard as of 2003 from west to east.Points of interest
Points of interest along Sam Cooper Boulevard (west to east).- Memphis ZooMemphis ZooThe Memphis Zoo, located in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Created in April 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years. The land currently designated to the Memphis Zoo was defined by the...
, 0.5 miles (804.7 m) west of the western terminus - Memphis Brooks Museum of ArtMemphis Brooks Museum of ArtMemphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.The original...
, 0.5 miles (804.7 m) west of the western terminus - Overton ParkOverton ParkOverton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...
at the western terminus - Memphis National CemeteryMemphis National CemeteryMemphis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Nutbush neighborhood of the City of Memphis, in Shelby County, Tennessee...
, 2 miles (3 km) north of Highland Street exit - Site of the first Holiday Inn hotel, 0.5 miles (804.7 m) east of Perkins Road exit
- Wolf RiverWolf River (Tennessee)The Wolf River is a alluvial stream in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, whose confluence with the Mississippi River was the site of various Chickasaw, French, Spanish and American communities and forts that eventually became Memphis, Tennessee....
at the eastern terminus - Shelby Farms ParkShelby FarmsShelby Farms, located in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. At a size of , it covers more than five times the area of Central Park in New York City with ....
, 2 miles (3 km) east of the eastern terminus
External links
- TDOT smartway Information System
- TDOT smartway traffic camera at Sam Cooper Boulevard and Perkins Street
- TDOT smartway traffic camera at Sam Cooper Boulevard and Graham Street
- TDOT smartway traffic camera at Sam Cooper Boulevard and High Point Terrace
- TDOT smartway traffic camera at Sam Cooper Boulevard and Highland Street