I-240 begins east of Downtown Memphis at an interchange with I-40. The freeway continues south, running through Midtown Memphis and intersects US 78, though unsigned. I-240 continues to an interchange with I-55 in South Memphis, where it changes direction. Continuing east, I-240 travels along the northern bank of Nonconnah Creek, providing access to Memphis International Airport and the eastern neighborhoods of Memphis. The highway crosses US 78 again, this time, signed. At an interchange with SR 385, I-240 turns and proceeds north. One mile later is the modified interchange with US 72 and I-240 ends at a stack interchange with I-40, US 70, US 79, US 64, and Sam Cooper Boulevard in East Memphis.
History
I-240 was first planned circa 1955, but it was to have been a beltway to completely encircle midtown Memphis, with the exception of the segment between Interstates 40 and 55, which was proposed as Interstate 255. Later, that number was decommissioned in favor of I-240 running in a full loop, with I-40 running from downtown to east Memphis. However, in 1957 citizens collected 10,000 signatures protesting the route, which cut through Overton Park in midtown. The controversy lasted until the 1970s, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the citizens. This effectively cancelled the Overton Park routing, shifting I-40 onto the northern leg of I-240. Part of the proposed I-40 route was already built from N. Highland St. east to the I-40/240 junction. The road is now called Sam Cooper Boulevard, and is owned by the city. In 2000, the City of Memphis built an extension to the former I-40 section of Sam Cooper Blvd. This extension runs west from N. Tillman St. as a limited accessparkway to East Parkway N.. The interstates overlapped around the northern bypass of Memphis for many years, but the northern leg eventually came to be known only as I-40, eliminating the concurrency and turning I-240 into a semi-beltway. Exits were not renumbered. On January 18, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration authorized the states of Mississippi and Tennessee to extend I-69 from the I-40/TN 300 interchange in north Memphis to the I-55/I-69 interchange in Hernando; however, Tennessee has signed the extension of the route, although Mississippi has already done so. On March 24, 2010, a sinkhole formed in the two leftmost northbound lanes north of the Walnut Grove interchange. It was initially thought to have been a smaller pothole and had been paved over the day before. It formed around 3:00 in the afternoon and damaged several cars, although no injuries were reported. These two lanes were shut down until March 28 while the sinkhole was filled.
Recent construction
I-240 has seen significant reconstruction over the past decade, as usage has exceeded design capacity. Both interchanges with I-40 have been reconstructed due to the amount of traffic taking I-40 through Memphis. The portion between Lamar Ave to Mt. Moriah Rd was widened to 8 through lanes in the early 2000s. A widening project began on the stretch of I-240 from north of TN 385 to north of Walnut Grove Road in April 2011. This was necessary due to increased traffic volumes since the freeway's construction. This included adding a lane to each side, retaining walls, noise barriers, and a redesigning of the Poplar Avenue interchange: a main source of congestion. The project was completed in late 2014. In Fall 2013, TDOT began work to reconstruct the I-240/I-40 eastern interchange for a second time. This reconstruction included construction of two additional flyover ramps and the widening of Sam Cooper Boulevard. Construction was completed in December 2016.
Exit list
The exits on I-240 run clockwise, reflecting their initial numbering as part of a circumferential beltway. Because of the re-routing of I-40, I-40 retains I-240's historic exit numbers 1 through 12A-C.
