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Interstate 240 (abbreviated '''I-240''') is an Interstate highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee . Running 19.27 miles or 31.0km, it loops southward from Interstate 40 in east Memphis , then turning west at TN 385 (Bill Morris Parkway). At I-55, the highway turns north and runs through midtown to end at I-40.

I-240 was first planned circa 1955 , but it was to have been a 30.8 mile or 49.6km Beltway to completely encircle midtown Memphis, with the exception of the segment between Interstates 40 and 55, which was proposed as Interstate 255 . Later, that number was decommisioned in favor of I-240 running in a full loop, with I-40 running from Downtown to east Memphis. However, in 1957 citizens collected 10,000 signatures protesting the route, which cut through Overton Park in Midtown . The controversy lasted until the 1970s , when the Supreme Court ruled that the Overton Park route be canceled, shifting I-40 onto the northern leg of I-240. Part of the proposed I-40 route was already built -- from Highland Ave. east to the I-40/240 junction. The road is now called Sam Cooper Boulevard, and is owned by the city.

(The interstates were duplexed around the northern bypass of Memphis for many years, but I-240 was later removed from the northern leg for reasons of Redundancy .)

I-240 has seen much reconstruction over the past decade, as area growth has demanded increased capacity. Both interchanges with I-40 are currently under reconstruction due to the amount of traffic taking I-40 through Memphis.