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New Downtown Development Could Cause Traffic Headache

Traffic could become a little more congested in downtown Memphis near Fed-Ex Forum, that’s if an apartment complex developer gets his way.
New Apartments Could Cause Traffic Problems

Traffic could become a little more congested in downtown Memphis near Fed-Ex Forum, that’s if an apartment complex developer gets his way.

 Thursday, Nashville-based developer Elmington Capital Group will go before the city’s land use control board to ask if they can close a portion of Pontotoc Avenue between Danny Thomas Boulevard and Turley Street.

They say it’s necessary to build a multi- family development. 

Of course, a big concern is how could closing down a portion of a street affect traffic flow.  Many motorists use Pontotoc Avenue to avoid the gridlock after big events at Fed-Ex Forum. 

 
Traffic engineers conducted a traffic study on behalf of the developers and found during special events the street carries an average of 243 vehicles. After a Grizzlies game on January 15th, the study found 326 vehicles used Pontotc Avenue.   


Closing a portion of the roadway would mean those vehicles would have an overflow to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue or Vance Avenue. 

However other developers say they welcome the proposed apartment complex.

“One of the challenges that there’s. It a lot of residential in this particular area so adding an apartment building in this particular proximity would bring some vibrancy to this particular neighborhood,” said Jimmie Tucker who is redeveloping the old New Life Insurance building nearby.

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