Memphis Street Goes on a Road Diet

Separated bike lanes and new pedestrian infrastructure have replaced traffic lanes on a mile of Manassas Street in Memphis.

1 minute read

June 4, 2019, 10:00 AM PDT

By Camille Fink


Manassas Street Memphis

Daniel Ashworth, Jr. / Alta Planning + Design

A stretch of roadway in the Memphis Medical District has undergone a redesign involving a reduction from five to three lanes of traffic. Manassas Street now has separated bike lanes, curb extensions that allow for shortened crosswalks and slower vehicle speeds, and a midblock crossing designed by a local artist.

"The ultimate goals of the project are to encourage active transportation, support the healthy lifestyles goals of the district’s medical institution anchors, and to encourage more mixed-use and multifamily residential development in the district," writes Daniel Ashworth, Jr.

The Memphis Medical District is an area adjacent to downtown, and the project seeks to create a safer multimodal roadway that gives pedestrians and cyclists equal access. The street improvement project is a joint effort between the City of Memphis and the Memphis Medical District Collaborative.

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