West end: I-240 in Memphis Length 25.7 km | Counties: Shelby County Shelby County, Tennessee | |
East end: I-269 near Collierville Major cities Memphis, Collierville, Piperton | ||
State Route 385 (SR 385), also known as the Bill Morris Parkway, is a state highway in the Memphis Metropolitan Area in Shelby and Fayette counties in West Tennessee, connecting I-240 in East Memphis with I-269 near Collierville.
Contents
Map of TN-385, Tennessee, USA
The Paul W. Barret and Winfield Dunn Parkways were formerly part of SR 385, but both later became parts of the I-269 Memphis Outer Loop, forming the northern half of the semi-circular loop; the southern half is currently designated as part of Mississippi Highway 304. At the present time, the route is not signed as I-269, but signs have been installed in Tennessee that read "Future I-269 Corridor." When the Bill Morris segment between U.S. Route 72 (US 72) and SR 57 was constructed, a partial interchange was built between the two roads. A flyover ramp was built for the eastbound lanes spanning an empty field for what was to become the through lanes for I-269 and ghost ramps were built for both directions. Construction on completing this interchange started in 2013 when the I-269 segment between here and the Tennessee–Mississippi state line began construction. SR 385 terminates at what is now I-269.
Route description
The Bill Morris Parkway begins at an interchange with I-240 in East Memphis. It heads southeasterly, following Nonconnah Creek for its entire length and has interchanges at Ridgeway Road, Kirby Parkway, Riverdale Road, Winchester Road, Hacks Cross Road, Forest Hill Irene Road, Houston Levee Road, Byhalia Road (SR 175), and US 72, before ending at an interchange with I-269.
History
The Paul W. Barret Parkway was the first section of SR 385 ever built and opened to traffic. The section built between US 51 and SR 204 in Millington was completed around 1982. On September 25, 1998, a section of the parkway from SR 204 to US 70/US 79 opened. Construction on the Bill Morris Parkway section began in 1990. The first section from I-240 to Ridgeway Road opened on December 24, 1993, to eastbound traffic and in January 1994 to westbound traffic. The route was extended to Riverdale Road and opened on December 22, 1995. The portion from Riverdale Road to Houston Levee Road opened on December 29, 1997. Bill Morris Parkway was extended to Byhalia Road in October 1999. It was extended to US 72 in 2005 and to its current terminus at SR 57 on August 23, 2007.
The Winfield Dunn Parkway was initially referred to as the Collierville Arlington Parkway in media reports about its construction, prior to its renaming to the current name in April 2012. The section of the parkway from US 70 to I-40 opened in December 1999. The portion from I-40 to US 64 opened on August 31, 2007, and was extended to Macon Road in June 2009. The final section opened to traffic on November 22, 2013.
Exit list
The entire route is in Memphis, Shelby County. All exits are unnumbered.