• Highways
• Distances to Major Cities
• Future Road Plans
• Major Motor Carriers
• Air Transportation
• Rail
• Water Transportation

Highways

Collierville is both north and south of Highway 72 (Poplar Avenue), approximately 7 miles east of Interstate 240, the interstate loop system that circles Memphis. The U.S. Highway is one of seven highways that serve major growth areas in the Memphis MSA, each of which converge in Memphis.

Two interstate highways are located in the Memphis region, including Interstate Highways 40 and 55. Collierville is easily accessible from Interstate 40 via Tennessee Highway 205 and Interstate Highway 55 via U.S. Highway 72 and Loop 240 South/West. The interstate connection, TN Hwy. 385 will be completed to Interstate 40 within the next five years, forming a new outer-loop around Metro Memphis. The new Interstate 69 is proposed to pass thru Memphis on a route from Toronto, Canada to Monterey, Mexico.

Distances to Major Cities

Future Road Plans

There are four projects in various stages of the planning/construction phase of development that will have a positive impact on the accessibility of Collierville to major arterial thoroughfares and Interstate Highways 40 and 55. A description and status of each are listed below:

1. EXTENSION OF WINCHESTER BLVD. - The extension of Winchester Road east to U.S. Highway 72 will provide a major east - west secondary route to Poplar Avenue. Winchester Road is a direct link to Memphis International Airport, located 14 miles west of Houston Levee. Current plans are to extend Winchester, which now terminates at Byhalia Rd. eastward to U.S. Highway 72.
2. U.S. 72 - The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has completed right-of-way plans for the widening of U.S. 72 from the Mississippi State Line to Poplar Avenue in Collierville. U.S. 72 is presently being widened in Mississippi from Marshall County to Corinth, Mississippi. The widening of U.S. 72 would tie into the future Nonconnah Parkway with an interchange at Shelby Drive and U.S. 72.
3. Nonconnah Parkway - The corridor alignment for Nonconnah Parkway (State Route 385) has been set by the TDOT. The next phase of the project for construction to Hwy 57 in Collierville is scheduled to be let for construction in the spring of 2003 Other phases of the project involving segments north of Hwy 57 are in the process of right- of way acquisition and are scheduled for construction in 2003.
4. Collierville/Arlington Parkway - A new four lane divided highway will bypass Collierville on the east side of Town in the vicinity of the Shelby - Fayette County line. This roadway is an extension of S.R. 385 (Nonconnah Parkway) and is in right-of-way acquisition with construction scheduled to begin in the summer of 2003. Completion will improve access north to Interstate 40 and will connect with Nonconnah Parkway south of Collierville at U.S. 72.

Major Motor Carriers

The area is served by over 300 common carriers, including all major truck lines. Over 100 terminals offer direct services to all 48 contiguous states, as well as to Canada and Mexico. It is a location that allows business to reach the maximum number of destinations overnight and has been an established location for major distribution operations for several years.

Air Transportation

The Memphis International Airport is a designated medium hub airport with over 250 flights originating from the airport daily. The airport serves almost 12 million passengers per year.

Six major national airlines, including Northwest Airlines, which has a local hub operation, provide commercial air services out of the Memphis International Airport. Air Tran, Delta, American, Continental and US Air also provide major carrier services. There is also daily direct service to Amsterdam via Northwest/KLM.

The Memphis International Airport is the world’s busiest air cargo airport; and it is the national and international central sorting facility and headquarters for Federal Express Corporation. United Parcel Service, another leading cargo shipper, also provides services out of Memphis; and it recently doubled the size of its local operation. The airport is a U.S. Customs Service "Port of Entry" and Foreign Trade Zone No. 77.

Adverse weather conditions almost never affect Memphis International Airport. The airport averages eight hours per year in which weather dictates conditions of less than approach minimum, and visual flight rules are in effect 88 percent of the time. Memphis has the best on-time flight performance of any U.S. hub airport.

International services continue to increase with more service to the Caribbean, Europe and the Orient. A fourth runway, taxiways and improvements to the current airfield were recently completed. The runway extension will allow nonstop flights to Europe and the Far East from Memphis.

GENERAL AVIATION: In addition to the Memphis International Airport, a general aviation airport is within 15 miles of Collierville located in Olive Branch, MS. Memphis-Olive Branch Airport is a 365-acre development featuring a 6,000-foot runway, nondirectional beacon, visual approaches, maintenance, fuel, hangars and flight training.

Rail

Collierville is served by the main line of Norfolk Southern with linkage to Illinois Central/Canadian National/Union Pacific and Southern Pacific in Memphis. Collierville's close proximity to Memphis places it within minutes of six major Intermodal Rail Yards including the four mentioned above, and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe and CSX Corporation.

Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago are the only U.S. cities served by five or more Class I rail systems. These systems offer single system shipments to all 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Mexico and Canada.

Water Transportation

The Mississippi River is part of an integral network of 25,000 miles of navigable waterways and one of the most cost-effective methods of transporting bulk goods and commodities.

In waterborne commerce, the Port of Memphis is the second largest inland port on the lower Mississippi River and the fourth largest in the nation. The port leads the nation in inland river systems handling foreign import tonnage. The port features eight public terminals and forty-four privately owned terminals.

The Mississippi River provides area industry an approximate 80-hour delivery schedule to New Orleans and a six-day schedule to the eastern waterways.