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Interstate 240 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway W.B. Fowler Sr. Expressway Avron B. Fogelman Expressway | ||||
 I-240 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route of I-40 | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 19.27 mi[1] (31.01 km) | |||
| Existed | November 12, 1958[2]–present | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |   I-40 / SR 14 in Memphis | |||
| East end | I-40 / Sam Cooper Boulevard in Memphis | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Shelby | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
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Interstate 240 (I-240) is a 19.27-mile-long (31.01 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Tennessee that forms a bypass around the southern and eastern neighborhoods of Memphis. Combined, I-240 and its parent, I-40, form a contiguous beltway around most of Memphis. I-240 runs from I-40 in Midtown Memphis to I-40 and Sam Cooper Boulevard in East Memphis. Throughout its length, it provides access to I-55, multiple U.S. and state routes, and the Memphis International Airport. The segment between the western terminus and I-55 is a north–south route, and the segment between I-55 and the eastern terminus runs east to west. Throughout its length, I-240 is designated as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway, the W.B. Fowler Sr. Expressway, and the Avron B. Fogelman Expressway.
The first sections of I-240 were opened in 1962, and the present-day route was completed in 1971. I-240 was first envisioned in the 1950s as a complete circular beltway around Memphis. The western segment between I-40 and I-55 was designated as I-255 until 1973, however. Citizen opposition to the routing of I-40 through Overton Park in the central part of Memphis resulted in I-40 being rerouted onto what was originally the northern loop of I-240 in 1981. As a result of this change, I-240's exits are still numbered according to their original mileage, which today is inconsistent with its length.
- ^ Staff (October 31, 2002). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ Johnson, A. E. (November 12, 1958). "Correspondence to Herbert M. Bates". VisualVault. American Association of State Highway Officials. Retrieved August 8, 2023.