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On Jan. 13, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced it’s launching initial planning and environmental studies for the Southern Gateway Project, which aims to address the greater Memphis area’s Mississippi River-crossing transportation needs.

The project will be developed through a partnership between TDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Mississippi Department of Transportation, and Memphis and West Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

Southern Gateway planners aim to improve the area's freight and passenger traffic by addressing aging bridges, track and roadways, and upgrade transportation connections through Memphis to the tri-state region and nation. Planning and environmental studies would analyze cross-river transportation needs among various modes, including freight and passenger rail, and highway. Currently, no funding has been allocated for design, right of way or construction, according to TDOT.

“The Memphis area is home to five Class I railroads, the world’s busiest cargo airport, the nation’s fourth-largest inland port and interstate routes that carry some of the highest truck volumes in the nation,” TDOT officials said in a prepared statement. “As the population of the region increases, freight and passenger traffic volumes are expected to grow, adding to increased congestion in the area and demand on the existing infrastructure.”

Southern Gateway partners plan to conduct public meetings and workshops, and utilize other forms of public outreach during the course of the project’s development to incorporate local input.