Interstate 55 in Tennessee

Interstate 55
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length: 12 mi (19.31 km)
Major junctions
South end: I-55 / I-69 at Mississippi state line
  US-51 in Memphis
I-69 / I-240 in Memphis
US-61 / US-64 / US-70 / US-79 in Memphis
North end: I-55 at Arkansas state line
Highway system

Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Tennessee State Routes
Interstate • US

← SR-54 SR-55 →

Interstate 55 in Tennessee lies entirely within the city of Memphis, located in Shelby County. The highway enters the city from Southaven in Desoto County, Mississippi and passes through the Whitehaven area of the city, bypassing Memphis International Airport to the west.

Contents

Route description

I–55 enter Tennessee from Mississippi Concurrent with I–69. I–55/I–69 heads due north before turning northwest. Then I–55 has an interchange with Interstate 240, I-55 then turns westward for a brief period before turning northward again. Just before reaching downtown, the highway turns westward again at E.H. Crump Boulevard and crosses the Mississippi River via the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge into West Memphis, in Crittenden County, Arkansas. [1]

There are currently plans to revamp the I-55/Crump Boulevard Interchange. The current design (a cloverleaf interchange) makes motorists slow down as they merge from one road to the other. This has caused several accidents over the years.[2]

I-55 provides an alternate route for motorists who do not want to take Interstates 240 and 40 through downtown to cross the Mississippi River.

History

On January 18, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration authorized the states of Mississippi and Tennessee to extend I-69 from the I-40/TN 300 interchange in north Memphis to the I-55/I-69 interchange in Hernando; however, Tennessee has not yet signed the extension of the route, although Mississippi has already done so. [3] Interstate 55 is one Tennessee's interstates where the speed limit is 65 MPH instead of 70.

Exit list

The entire route is in Memphis, Shelby County.

Mile Destinations Notes
Shelby
 Memphis 0.00   I-55 south / I-69 south Mississippi state line
2 SR-175 (Shelby Drive) – Whitehaven, Capleville Signed as exits 2A (east) and 2B (west) southbound
5 US-51 (Elvis Presley Boulevard, SR 3) / Brooks Road – Graceland Signed as exits 5A (Brooks Road) and 5B (US 51 south)
6 I-69 north / I-240 – Nashville, Little Rock Northern end of I–69; signed as exits 6A (east) and 6B (west)
7 US-61 (3rd Street, SR 14) – Vicksburg, Mississippi  
8 Horn Lake Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
9 Mallory Avenue  
10 South Parkway  
11 McLemore Avenue - Presidents Island  
12A US-61 south / US-64 east / US-70 east / US-79 east (Crump Boulevard, SR 1 east) South end of US 61/US 64/US 70/US 79 overlap
12B Riverside Drive - Downtown  
12C Metal Museum Drive Serves the National Ornamental Metal Museum
Mississippi River
   Memphis & Arkansas Bridge
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Overview map of I-55 in Tennessee (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-55+N%2FI-69+N&daddr=I-55+N&hl=en&sll=34.995955,-90.001845&sspn=0.004333,0.010525&geocode=FSz7FQIdrKyi-g%3BFRwCGAIdtYyh-g&vpsrc=0&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=17&t=m&z=17. Retrieved September 16, 2011. 
  2. ^ I-55/Crump Blvd. Interchange Page (TDOT)
  3. ^ Capka, J. Richard (FHWA Administrator), Letter to Paul D. Degges (TDOT) dated January 18, 2008, retrieved May 28, 2008.
Interstate 55
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Mississippi		 Tennessee Next state:
Arkansas