MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Drivers along Elvis Presley Boulevard are getting a temporary break from years of construction during Elvis Week.
Construction along Elvis Presley Boulevard is paused, but just for a week.
Businesses along Elvis Presley Boulevard are finally getting a much-needed break this week.
For years, construction has made the stretch of Elvis Presley Boulevard difficult to navigate.
For Phyllis Gibbons, the road outside Big Bill’s Barbecue has been a problem for far too long.
“It’s taking too long. Taking too long, and that keeps people from coming this way because they think we’re not finished. So that slows up business,” Gibbons said.
The family-owned restaurant has been in business for 15 years.
“Get busy. Get busy. We need to be,” Gibbons said.
The Elvis Presley Boulevard project stretches about three miles through Whitehaven and has been underway for seven years.
The project includes roadway widening, utility relocation, drainage improvements, sidewalks and landscaping.
The last phase of the project is not expected to be completed until 2031.
In June, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced more oversight of the project and said it was pushing for more urgency and coordination with the city.
FOX13 reached out to Memphis City Councilwoman Pearl Walker about the project. She was not available to speak with us Monday.
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