MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s the road named for the “King of Rock and Roll” that looks anything but royal in some places. Each year, thousands of tourists travel Elvis Presley Boulevard to get to Graceland. The roadway is also a major thoroughfare connecting Tennessee and Mississippi.
More than a decade ago, state and local leaders announced plans for a more than $40 million redesign of Elvis Presley Boulevard. However, over the years, the project has hit numerous roadblocks.
The most recent setback was a loss of funding, but WREG learned the latest phase of construction for the project is finally moving forward.
Piano’s Flowers and Gifts sits along Elvis Presley near Shelby Drive.
It’s one of the busiest times of the year at the flower shop as spring means celebrations for Mother’s Day and events like prom.
“Everybody’s got a mother, you didn’t just fly into this world, everybody’s got a mother,” said Piano’s owner, Chuck Strong.
For more than 40 years, Strong, his wife Barbara and their team at Piano’s have helped Memphis families celebrate special moments and deal with the most difficult ones, too.
Strong told WREG, “Births, deaths, anniversaries. Thank you. I appreciate you. Forgive me. I love you.”
The flower shop is a staple in the Whitehaven community–a neighborhood the Strongs also call home.
“You hop the fence out back and you’re one block from my house,” Strong said.
Piano’s has been in its current location for 30 years and for more than a decade, Strong has been waiting on the multi-million dollar makeover of the famously named road running in front of his business.
“I want to see something that’s going to change, and it’s not changing,” Strong told the WREG Investigators.
Paving, new lighting and landscaping are just a few of the improvements included in the Elvis Presley Boulevard Road Improvement Project that runs more than three miles from Brooks Road to Shelby Drive.
However, over the years, delays put the brakes on the construction, leaving business owners like Strong frustrated.
“When they started, the first excuse was land acquisitions,” said Strong.
Construction on phase one of the project or the North Section, from Brooks to Winchester, finally wrapped in 2021 and workers were set to start on the Middle Section in 2024.
Strong continued, “Then they lost the grant. The city. I said, how do you lose a grant?”
In fact, it was exactly one year ago that the WREG Investigators uncovered and exposed the fact that the city had lost funding to start construction on the second phase, or middle section of the project.
City loses $27M for Elvis Presley Boulevard construction, possibly putting project on hold
City leaders shocked by funding loss for Elvis Presley Blvd., will fight to get it back
The Tennessee Department of Transportation reallocated that money late last year.
Millions could be restored for Elvis Presley Blvd. project
“We were not going to take our foot off the pedal to make, until that money actually came to the city and we were able to fix this project,” said State Representative Karen Camper, whose district includes Whitehaven.
She told WREG, “It’s like a two-year project and grateful – I’m grateful that they’re doing it in phases so that every business isn’t interrupted, all the constituents aren’t interrupted by the project.”
The middle section of the project runs from Winchester to Craft Road, and according to the city, it’ll be broken into eight separate phases.
This portion is also a critical piece of the construction because it includes the section of Elvis Presley Boulevard in front of Graceland and the Guesthouse.
The projected timeline to completion is January 2027.
Strong exclaimed, “Hey, no disrespect, please. I may not even be here for phase three, I’m 83! Phase two is going to take three years. I’ll be 86!”
Piano’s sits on the part of Elvis Presley that’s in the final phase of construction, which hasn’t been funded yet and isn’t slated to be finished until 2030.
As he softly laughed about it all, Strong told WREG, “Mark it on the wall somewhere, like when you used to grow, you used to put a line. I, you know, I really want it to happen.”
The WREG Investigators asked Rep. Camper, “Are you confident that the entire project will get fully funded and we’re going to see all of this come to fruition?”
She replied, “I am. The people have waited a long time. They have waited forever for this. And I also feel like it’s a priority for the mayor.”
Ironically, NewsChannel 3 caught up with Mayor Paul Young at the reopening of a state highway project, celebrating completion after just a few years of work. We asked him about Elvis Presley Boulevard.
“We know how important that community and Elvis Presley, Graceland, all of those things are really important to our economy so, we want to make sure access is there and we want to make sure that the street gets finished because the community has had to endure the construction phase for far too long,” Young told WREG.
Strong said, “If I think the day they complete it, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, lighting, atmosphere, look out, I think that will be a shot in the arm that the community will be extremely proud of!”
What’s Happening with Construction Right Now?
Current Lane Closures (Per City of Memphis as of May 14, 2025)
• Active work zone on the west side of the road
• Three lanes are open northbound
• Two lanes are open southbound
• Left turns are restricted throughout the work area
Current Phase 1A Construction Activities
• Working between Winchester Road and Bluebird Road
• Installation of temporary asphalt pavement on west side of roadway
Construction Schedule
• Begin – April 2025
• Phase 1A: April 2025 – June 2025
• Phase 1B: June 2025 – August 2025
• Phase 2: August 2025 – October 2025
• Phase 3: October 2025 – December 2025
• Phase 4: December 2025 – January 2026
• Phase 5: January 2026 – May 2026
• Phase 6: May 2026 – July 2026
• Phase 7: July 2026 – October 2026
• Phase 8: October 2026 – January 2027• Scheduled Completion – January 2027
You can read more about the project on the city’s website here.
