Weekly Update: If you drive Poplar or 240, read this

Friends,

Though it’s not a City project, it will have a big impact on Memphians. So, I'm sharing an important heads up to drivers that starting in two weekends, the first phase of full weekend shutdowns involving I-240 and Poplar Avenue in East Memphis will begin.

Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 13 and lasting through 6 a.m. on Monday, July 16, Poplar Avenue eastbound will be closed at the I-240 interchange. Three hours later, at midnight, Poplar westbound will be closed at the I-240 interchange, and the I-240 eastbound ramp to Poplar Avenue westbound will be closed.

I-240 will remain open during the weekend of July 13-16.

However, on the weekends of July 20-23 and July 27-30, there will be a full closure of I-240 east and westbound (from Tennessee 385 on the south to the I-40/240 flyover on the north) and Poplar Avenue east and westbound at the I-240 interchange.

This is a Tennessee Department of Transportation project, and it’s being done this way to keep from the prolonged daily lane closures and years-long project lengths that come with the usual way of doing things. Between now and next June, there will be nine to 12 weekends with these kinds of large-scale closures.

This is all for a good result: a $54.1 million project to replace and repair four bridges that were built in 1968.

These closures will be weather-dependent. If by Wednesday of the week of a closure, TDOT anticipates uncooperative weather, it will reschedule.

Stay tuned to City of Memphis social media (Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor) for updates. TDOT will be sharing the latest activity and SmartWay traffic cameras at this site, and you can always dial 511 for traffic info. Follow TDOT on Twitter, too. Learn more about the entire project at the Memfix 4 website.

Our condolences: I was sad Thursday to learn of the passing of Melvin Burgess Sr. He served our city for many years at MPD, including as police director. And his advice was valuable to me when he served on our transition team.

Please join me in keeping his family in your prayers.

Sharing our data: When I ran for mayor, I promised to measure results, share those results with you, and hold City government accountable.

Here’s our latest monthly data report, which shares progress in reducing 911 answer times, lowering the violent crime rate, and improving Memphis Animal Services.

Did you know? I’m starting a new occasional series in the Weekly Update that came from a meeting I had with some Public Works employees this week. There, someone told me they were shocked at how many services — most of them free — the City offers, yet so few people know about them.

So I’ll try to highlight one every so often.

Explore Memphis is a good place to start. Through this Memphis Public Libraries program, you can join a summer reading program, participate in all sorts of free activities, and get free or discounted admission to some of our great museums.

As of Wednesday, we've had roughly 11,000 attendees at our more than 1,000 programs.

Thanks to everyone at Libraries who is making this happen. We’re experiencing a renaissance of sorts with our Libraries these days, and Explore Memphis is a big part of that.

Yours,