At Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, we take our role as steward of the Park very seriously.  We have a responsibility to the Park, its users and supporters, and the citizens of Memphis and Shelby County to ensure the Park's recreational and environmental resources are not harmed. We will not support a road design that negatively impacts the environment, recreation experience or pedestrian and vehicular connectivity in and around Shelby Farms Park.

The alignment of Kirby Whitten Parkway was set before Shelby Farms Park Conservancy was formed and prior to the signing of our management agreement with Shelby County. We remain optimistic that, if designed properly, Kirby Whitten Parkway can complement Shelby Farms Park's vision to be one of the greatest urban parks of the twenty-first century. 

Sierra Club Meeting: for more information about the meeting, contact Sierra Club, Chickasaw Group. 

Kirby Whitten Parkway Project Description

The City of Memphis, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), is proposing to construct a 2.5-mile Kirby Parkway from Walnut Grove Road to the intersection of Whitten and Macon Roads in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.  The new road design consists of a four-lane, median-divided, access-controlled highway.  You can view a pdf of the project map here.  For more information, visit the TDOT website.

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is awaiting the answers to several questions we have about the Parkway design before agreeing to de minimus determination.  We do not currently have enough information to agree or disagree that  "the alignment of Kirby Parkway has been designed for the express purpose of minimizing any impacts to any features or attributes that qualify Shelby Farms Park for protection under Section 4(F)."

We've asked to be guaranteed that:

1. The Parkway design makes it easy for visitors to get to and around the Park
2. That Walnut Grove won't be widened and that its speed limits will be reduced, and that Sycamore View will not be extended through the Park 
3. That the Parkway prioritizes bike and pedestrian access and connectivity to the Shelby Farms Greenline and Wolf River Greenway 
4. That the Parkway enhances bike and pedestrian access to and from neighborhoods around the Park
5. That the Parkway enhances pedestrian and vehicular connectivity between the north, south, east and west areas of the Park 
6. That the Parkway doesn't harm our floodplain or aquifer, and honors our natural environment 
7. That the Parkway design complements the bold and aspirational vision for Shelby Farms Park  
8. That the Parkway has underground utilities and no lighting 
9. That citizens will be provided an easy to understand 3-D model of the Parkway in relation to the Park at a public meeting in the fall and will have full opportunity to comment