The first phase of a large-scale cosmetic revamp to the main road to and from Memphis International Airport is moving forward, with improvements scheduled to literally take root within weeks.

Funding for the first phase of the project, integral to a larger beautification plan that will bring foliage and landscaping to the long-barren area, was approved in mid-January by the Memphis City Council.

Ultimately, various phases will bring about a wholesale revamping of Plough Boulevard, which connects central Memphis to its airport. More than 1,500 trees and landscaping, coupled with new lighting and signage, stand to drastically improve visitors’ first impressions of the city along about two miles of roadway.

As winter relents, planting of the first round of honey locust, October glory maple and bald cypress trees, along with installation of irrigation to support them, is scheduled to begin between late March and early April. First plantings will take place at Winchester and Plough boulevards, near the airport entrance; a second, larger planting, extending outward from the airport toward Interstate 240, is planned for fall.

Memphis civic and business leaders believe such improvements are key to supporting the broader Aerotropolis initiative, which forecasts significant growth in the region’s economy tied to the city’s logistical strengths. Experts hold Memphis is the nation’s only true “airport city,” a 24-hour distribution hub where river, road, rail intersect atop the world’s highest cargo-trafficking airport.

The $1.6 million landscape plan was developed by the Aerotropolis Gateways and Beautification Workgroup in coordination with Memphis-based landscape architects Ritchie Smith & Associates.  The bill for the project was sponsored by Memphis City Councilman Kemp Conrad, who is the council's chairman of the Economic Development Committee and liason to to the Airport Authority.

Other improvements tied to the airport have recently been completed or are in the works. In December, the Federal Aviation Administration christened a new, 336-foot air traffic control tower, making it one of the nation’s tallest and providing personnel with state-of-the-art technology and unparalleled runway views.