MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When road construction along Riverside Drive is finished next month, visitors will be required to pay to park at Tom Lee Park, city leaders said Friday

However, the City of Memphis revised that with a statement released Saturday afternoon, saying the first hour of parking will be free, and parking will be free all day on Sundays.

In that statement, the city said data from 2024 shows that 70% of visits to the park were less than one hour.

A section of the roadway, between Beale Street and Georgia Avenue, has been closed for a couple of months to reduce the number of lanes from four to two and add nearly two dozen additional parking spots in front of the park.

There will now be a total of 89 spaces that run diagonally along Riverside. All but four designated ADA spots will require payment.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Memphis has raised concerns for years about a lack of parking at Tom Lee.

During a $62 million renovation project, a parking lot and nearly 200 spots were removed from the park.

The original redesign plans called for 100 to 130 parking spaces, but when Tom Lee reopened in 2023, there were only 67 free parallel spaces on the west side of Riverside Drive.

The city hasn’t said how much it will cost to park along Riverside Drive, but a couple of years ago, it added paid parking at two small lots on the bluff overlooking Tom Lee and the Mississippi River. The parking costs $5.23 for one hour.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office stated that the city is exploring the option of implementing paid parking to enhance on-street parking management and encourage the regular turnover of available public spaces. 

“Paid parking for longer stays helps fund added security, better lighting, and ongoing maintenance — all to improve the experience for every visitor,” the city said on Saturday.

Riverside Drive is expected to reopen to traffic on August 15.