State Route 23 (abbreviated SR 23) is an east–west major arterial urban highway running from Bellevue Boulevard (
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...
) near downtown
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
to
Interstate 240 near
Shelby Farms
Shelby Farms is a public park located in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just east of the city of Memphis. It is one of the largest urban parks in the US and the world, at a size of and covers more than five times the area of Central P ...
in
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...
.
Route description
SR 23 is a mix between a four-lane divided highway and a seven-lane urban highway (with center turn lane). This highway is designated on maps as being a secondary state route from its eastern terminus to its junction with
SR 277 (East Parkway). At this junction, SR 23 becomes a primary state route all the way to its western terminus at
US 51
U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...
. SR 23 is better known as Union Avenue from its junction with
SR 57 (Poplar Avenue) to its western terminus with US 51. Union Avenue continues beyond this terminus going toward downtown Memphis ending at Riverside Drive. SR 23 from Poplar Avenue to I-240 is known as Walnut Grove Road. According to data from
TDOT
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. The mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system ...
, The SR 23 designation ends at I-240, however, Walnut Grove Road actually continues east through
Shelby Farms
Shelby Farms is a public park located in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just east of the city of Memphis. It is one of the largest urban parks in the US and the world, at a size of and covers more than five times the area of Central P ...
.
Future
In 2008, Walnut Grove Road was widened from the interchange with I-240 to the
Wolf River bridge. The project, which included a new
Single Point Urban Interchange
A single-point urban interchange (SPUI, or ), also called a single-point interchange (SPI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI), is a type of highway interchange. The design was created in order to help move large volumes of traffic thro ...
with Humphreys Boulevard, was scheduled to be complete before December 1, 2008, but was finished eight months early. The improvements will be continued east of this project through Shelby Farms, including a connection to a proposed extension of Kirby-Whitten Parkway (aka Shelby Farms Parkway). This is expected to begin within the next year or so.
Major intersections
{{Jctbtm, keys=concur,incomplete
References
023
Transportation in Memphis, Tennessee
Transportation in Shelby County, Tennessee