MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Drivers along Elvis Presley Boulevard are getting a temporary break from years of construction during Elvis Week.<\/p>\n
Construction along Elvis Presley Boulevard is paused, but just for a week.<\/p>\n
Businesses along Elvis Presley Boulevard are finally getting a much-needed break this week.<\/p>\n
For years, construction has made the stretch of Elvis Presley Boulevard difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n
For Phyllis Gibbons, the road outside Big Bill\u2019s Barbecue has been a problem for far too long.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s taking too long. Taking too long, and that keeps people from coming this way because they think we\u2019re not finished. So that slows up business,” Gibbons said.<\/p>\n
The family-owned restaurant has been in business for 15 years.<\/p>\n
“Get busy. Get busy. We need to be,” Gibbons said.<\/p>\n
The Elvis Presley Boulevard project stretches about three miles through Whitehaven and has been underway for seven years.<\/p>\n
The project includes roadway widening, utility relocation, drainage improvements, sidewalks and landscaping.<\/p>\n
The last phase of the project is not expected to be completed until 2031.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
FOX13 reached out to Memphis City Councilwoman Pearl Walker about the project. She was not available to speak with us Monday.<\/p>\n
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