The need for the proposed road, to improve the safety and flow of traffic and reduce congestion on existing east Memphis street corridors, as well as to improve access to Shelby Farms for recreation users, has been recognized for 30 years.
Congestion wastes fuel and time, causing driver frustration and leading to vehicular accidents.
As the result of sound planning studies and citizen feedback, the road has been shown on either the Memphis Urban Area Transportation System Plan, or its successor, the Major Road Plan, since 1969. The design of other area roadways on this same plan relies on the assumption that all of the roads on the plan will be constructed, to form an interconnected and compatible system of roadways. The original alignment prepared by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, working with City and County representatives, drew opposition when it was proposed that Kirby Road be extended across the Wolf River and connected to Whitten Road to the north. In 1998, Mayor Rout, after listening to a group of concerned citizens suggested a more westerly route, following an alignment that crosses a large soybean field and clearly avoids the active recreational areas of the park and all of its forested land. Refining the plan even more after continued meetings, Mayor Rout proposed a reduction in the width of the parkway from six to four lanes.