Building Together: City of Memphis Weekly Newsletter

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Yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $1 billion in grants through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The funding will go directly to local, regional, and tribal communities to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries on America’s rural and urban roads. 

And I am thrilled to announce that thanks to the great work of our Division of Planning and Development, Metropolitan Planning Organization, and our Engineering office, the city of Memphis received $13 million to enhance roadway safety right here in our community. (Read more here.)

For Memphis, it is a big deal. Roadway safety is a significant issue in our community. In the 2024 Dangerous by Design report, Memphis had ranked first in the nation for pedestrian deaths. That is simply unacceptable. And, although our team is working every day to improve our roads and road safety, we face budget challenges that prevent us from making some of the more permanent changes needed to adapt older street designs to comply with today’s safety standards. 

This grant will help us do just that. It will be used to make our streets safer and reduce injuries and deaths on the road. We plan to use the funding to implement changes at various locations across the city to improve people's lives. The most substantial improvements will be focused on the intersection at Lamar, Pembleton, and Kimball. This high-injury corridor and six-way intersection is the number-one location for crash frequency in the city. It is our most dangerous intersection. 

If you aren’t familiar with this complex intersection, it is located in the historic Orange Mound neighborhood and has a confusing array of signals, fading and disjointed pedestrian connectivity, and little guidance on appropriate movements. Our goal is to increase the safety of drivers and vulnerable road users who access nearby Cherokee Park, a 15-acre park with a playground, ball field, basketball court, pavilion, and fitness trail. 

To address these safety issues, our grant application proposed that the City close Pembleton on either side of Lamar, which would improve safety while simplifying intersection geometry and operations. The application also suggested installing a new traffic signal and pedestrian facilities with green spaces. With the announcement of the grant, our team will begin doing our due diligence to ensure we are making the best decisions for community safety. 

Proposed changes to Lamar, Pendleton, Kimball intersection.

The remaining grant funds will be used for the following purposes: to develop an educational campaign, including a school outreach program; to implement technology to gather data that will better inform City staff about safety issues on City roads; and to install quick-build strategies at 15 high-crash locations within the city. These safety improvement strategies will include solutions such as painted bike lanes, speed limit feedback radar, more hi-vis signs and signals, and plastic delineators and will help to create an environment that is less car-focused and more inclusive of pedestrians and bicyclists.  

We will conduct before and after assessments at each location using the near-miss camera technology, public feedback, and crash data to evaluate the impact of the improvements at each location. In total, the City will receive $13,028,000 in Federal funds to accomplish this work, and we will engage the public and share the progress as we move forward with the work to create a safer, stronger Memphis. 

Our entire team is working on Road Safety, this heat map shows MFD response to motor vehicle accidents. MFD collaborates with other city divisions to enhance transportation safety in Memphis. This collaboration includes contributing to the development of a Safety Action Plan, which is funded through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program. A Safety Action Plan is a key element in improving road safety within a community. 

A little more about the Division of Planning and Development (DPD) and our City Engineer’s Office.

DPD is a joint division of City and County government, responsible for short and long-range planning, administration of community development programs, zoning and subdivision regulations, and technical building codes, and inspection of development and buildings throughout Memphis and Shelby County. If you want information about building codes, subdivision development, down payment assistance, or a permit, this is where you will find it.

OPD is busy. The Division has 175 employees. So far this year, the office has handled almost 28,000 records connected to planning applications, building inspections, and permits. The Division is also working on the five-year update to the Memphis 3.0 Plan meeting with members of the community,  Accelerate Memphis improvements, and making the city more pedestrian friendly.

The City Engineer's Office employs approximately 120 engineers, technicians, and clerical employees. This Division is responsible for design and inspection during construction of streets, bridges, storm drains, sanitary sewers, traffic control devices, and City facilities. This Division also provides installation and maintenance of signs and markings along streets and maintenance of traffic signals for the City and Shelby County municipalities.

Our engineers work to increase mobility infrastructure and have been at the center of other high-visibility projects such as the Smart Memphis Fiber Initiative. And, of course, they are team responsible for responding to citizens' requests for speed bumps.

Weekly Crime Trend

The report below provides our weekly update on Part 1 Crimes. It updates daily and shows a continuous rolling 7-day total compared to the prior 7-day total. The charts on the right show the calendar week trend, comparing 2023 to 2024.

(We maintain two crime dashboards, the Weekly Crime Trend report can be found here, and the Crime Analytics dashboard can be accessed here.)

Our Strike Team worked in the following zip codes this week: 381115 - our team worked in 7 different areas of 38115 this week! 

Social and Community Shout-outs:

901 Day. We welcomed nearly 11,000 people to Beale Street on Sunday to help us celebrate our city's holiday! Thank you to everyone who showed up to dance, laugh, smile and celebrate with us!!! See more here.

If you haven't seen it, watch our 901 Day love letter to Memphis video here.

Soulin’ on the River. Are you having 901 Day withdrawals? Come out and experience the new sound of Memphis soul with free, live music from Cameron Bethany in Fourth Bluff Park TONIGHT at 7 pm. See full details here.

Wellness Festival. Memphis Medical District is hosting its 2^nd annual FREE Wellness Festival this Saturday at Morris Park. See more and share here. 

MAS Adoption Saturdays. Bring home a furry friend this Saturday from Memphis Animal Services at PetsSmart Wolfchase. See more and share here. 

The Building Beat Podcast. The Office of Planning and Development recently started a podcast called The Building Beat, which focuses on local development issues. See more and share here.

Community Clean-Up. Memphis City Beautiful needs you help! Volunteers are needed to participate in a litter pickup in some of our beautiful public greenspaces. See full details here. 

HUGE Investment in a Safer Memphis. We are proud to announce alongside Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg that Memphis secured $13.1 Million in federal funding to improve roadway safety in Memphis. See full details here. 

Weekly round-up

in partnership and progress,

Paul A. Young