ABES Contracting strives to make its communities stronger with projects that benefit all.
The Memphis Flyway is just one of those projects.
“We‘re very excited to be part of the Flyway project because it’s a public facility that everyone in Memphis can use and benefit from. These park-type projects help unify our city and move us forward,” says ABES Contracting Vice President Brad Davis.
Proposed by Memphis River Parks Partnership, the $2.5 million Flyway in Tom Lee Park will be the only free and ADA-accessible observation deck on the Mississippi River. The concept for Flyway began in 2024 when the City of Memphis completed an extensive renovation to Tom Lee Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Flyway is designed as a supplement to the new facility.
So what is the Flyway? It’s a ground-supported canopy boardwalk supported by three steel mast column bundles. It is located at the southern end of the Park. The boardwalk extends out over the Mississippi River in a southeast-northwest direction for a total length of approximately 218 feet.
ABES Contracting is responsible for the site/civil portion of the work including demolition, clearing, earthwork, grading and erosion control. Montgomery Martin Contractors are the project manager. Acuff Enterprises is a subcontractor providing earthwork, building a 28’-wide rocked access road, scour protection for the piers and crane pad foundations. Michael Hatcher is installing the landscaping as a subconsultant to ABES Contracting. The Flyway was designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, companies that also oversaw the renovation of Tom Lee Park.
Davis says this project is providing “valuable experience to ABES both as a general contractor managing subcontractors and as a self-performing site/civil contractor.”
He gives much credit to Montgomery Martin Contractors for their guidance. “Montgomery Martin Contractors has been a great mentor for ABES Contracting, not only on the Memphis Flyway project but on several other City of Memphis projects.”
The Flyway is set to be completed in 2025. It’s funded by the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and an anonymous donor.
