Two New Interstates for GA?

[upstate29650]

i think the savannah, augusta, greenville, hendersonville combo would be the best. i know that georgia wants to try and keep what they can in ga, but the population masses would benefit from the most common sense routing. if it were to go through ne georgia, it would benefit those towns tremendously, but skip the major travel corridors. originally the interstate was to facilitate millitary travel, but the civilians have taken them over. which is more important nowadays?

I agree with that alignment as well. I also think I-77 should be extended down from Columbia to Savannah. Also, I-16 should "spur" off at the Bibb County line south of Macon & head west towards Columbus & eventually, Montgomery.

As a side note, the I-3 designation is a nod to the 24th Infantry Division, based at Ft. Stewart (south of Savannah). For many years, this was the "Third I.D.", hence, I-3.

[ironchapman]

As a side note, the I-3 designation is a nod to the 24th Infantry Division, based at Ft. Stewart (south of Savannah). For many years, this was the "Third I.D.", hence, I-3.

Didn't Patton (based in Ft. McPherson in Atlanta) head up that division?

[upstate29650]

Didn't Patton (based in Ft. McPherson in Atlanta) head up that division?

Hmmm...I'm not sure really.

[ATLman1]

Has anyone heard the status of these interstates? Are they going to happen?

[GSP Tiger]

From what I read, both proposed routes are now under study by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). No permanent route designations have been assigned.

[PJA]

Two counties in North Carolina are opposing the building of I-3. They think it will hurt the environment however some counties think it will help to boost the economy. Here's more.

Full Story

[UrbaniDesDev]

I 3 looks like a good plan. I 14 looks a bit arbitrary.

and hey, have we completely abandoned, or outgrown the Interstae numbering sytem? How did I 3 get on the east coast? Wasn't odd numbers from west to east and even numbers from south to north?

[Metroinspect.]

I 3 looks like a good plan. I 14 looks a bit arbitrary.

and hey, have we completely abandoned, or outgrown the Interstae numbering sytem? How did I 3 get on the east coast? Wasn't odd numbers from west to east and even numbers from south to north?

I think 1-14 is better than 1-3 cause it actually serves Ga better

[ATLman1]

I think 1-14 is better than 1-3 cause it actually serves Ga better

I totally agree. I-3 is not needed.

[DaGABoyStinger]

I dunno, I would say that at least one of these interstate would benefit Augusta enough, but I'm still skeptical as to where they even would place them in the Augusta Area. The area has become so dense outside Bobby Jones (I-520) and around all the artery highways that it can't just be put in the obvious place without serious demolition of neighborhoods and businesses.

I just need to know how are they going to address this even IF any or both these highways are going to be built?

[upstateplanet]

I totally agree. I-3 is not needed.

Errr...wha?

What is probably the single largest generator of jobs, growth & wealth in Ga outside of Atlanta? The Ga Ports....in Savannah.

I-3 would provide TWO ways to move materials to Atlanta (and points further north, like Knoxville & Nashville) from the port...as well as the obvious military aspects.

I-3 makes loads more sense.

[ATLman1]

Errr...wha?

What is probably the single largest generator of jobs, growth & wealth in Ga outside of Atlanta? The Ga Ports....in Savannah.

I-3 would provide TWO ways to move materials to Atlanta (and points further north, like Knoxville & Nashville) from the port...as well as the obvious military aspects.

I-3 makes loads more sense.

GA has enough north-south interstates. I-14 is needed a lot more than I-3.

[socaguy]

Perhaps but Id be willing to bet I-3 would be a busier highway, simply because it serves larger metro areas...especially if it is built through SC where it would pass through the Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson metro area. And an interstate from Augusta to Savannah is sorely needed. It gets to busy on those little highways alot of times.

[teshadoh]

I would too support a Greenville - Greenwood - Augusta - Savannah highway, though I don't think it would need to be a limited access highway. The same with an Augusta - Macon - Columbus route, a divided 4 lane highway would do the trick.

But of course that is already being built, those sections in GA. Greenville could use another southern link though. Possibly another route could be from Augusta towards Charlotte near Rock Hill.

[GSP Tiger]

Instead of building I-3 from Knoxville to Savannah, extend I-24 southeastward to Gainesville, Athens and Augusta. Intersecting with I-85, you can connect Chattanooga, TN with Greenville, SC via interstates without combating traffic in Atlanta and Knoxville, TN.

I would support a Greenville, SC to Savannah route. I do not know what connections are planned between Augusta and Savannah. From Greenwood to Augusta, I would like to see US-25 widened to four lanes and possibly connect it with the Palmetto Parkway in Edgefield.

[socaguy]

It would be nice if 25 were widened after Greenwood. Actually, only about 40 miles of the stretch between Augusta and Greenville is still 2 lane highway, from just south of Greenwood to about 7-8 miles outside of Edgefield. It wouldnt take too much work and then there would be no need of an Interstate. I like the extension of I-24 idea.

[DruidCity]

Interstate 67 is already planned from Montgomery, through Dothan, to Panama City.

What ? That's the first I've seen of that.

I had heard of a plan for an interstate spur from Dothan down to I-10 and possibly down to Panama, but

that's the first mention I've seen of the possibility of a Montgomery-Dothan interstate.

Re: I-14 - Instead of Alabama's portion of that as shown on diagrams in this thread, Alabama politicians

are pushing at extension of I-85 from Montgomery to Meridian.

[Fear of Heights]

Re: I-14 - Instead of Alabama's portion of that as shown on diagrams in this thread, Alabama politicians

are pushing at extension of I-85 from Montgomery to Meridian.

[PCGrad02]

Hartford, CT & Providence, RI are not linked by an Interstate.

[poohsfolks]

Jefferson City, MO, Carson City, NV and Pierre, SD aren't linked to any cities by an interstate.

[poonther]

^ Add Tallahassee to Montgomery to that "State Capitals not connected by interstate" list. Unless of course you would count us driving all the way to Mobile to hook up w/65 up to Montgomery, that would almost double our travel time to MGM. And technically, Tally really isn't connected to ATL via interstate. Yeah we could drive 90 miles east to I-75 and then head north, but that would increase our trips up that way by at least 1.5 hours. Instead we use 319 North to Tifton and I-75 or 319 to the FL-GA Parkway (not limited access) and connect w/75 northeast of Albany.

FL says it is going to connect PC w/I-10 via a limited access road, but I've always heard it would be a toll road. I believe that same road it going to parallel US 231 somewhat on up to Dothan then Troy and eventually Montgomery. However I'm not sure if the Bama portion will be toll and of course as always who knows when and if any of this will ever happen.

[andremurra]

Max Burns, the author of the proposal is from a tiny town called Sylvania located in Screven County, just north of Statesboro Bulloch County. It is quite obvious that the interstate follows a more personal route than a route of what is truly needed by the residents of Southeast GA. It would make a lot more sense and would save a lot of money if the I-3 connected to I-16 east of Statesboro, rather than crossing I-95 and then going into downtown Savannah. By hitting I-16 east of Statesboro, that would save the cost of building an I-95 interchange and all the structural obstacles of heading into Savannah. I-16 already goes into downtown Savannah and accesses I-95, and I-516 on the way into Savannah. While Sylvania, GA could use a lot of economic development since it is a spec on the map, Statesboro/Bulloch County already has 69,000 residents and 21,000 college students (between the 4 institutions) who need access to an expressway. On weekends when area students want to visit a home that doesnt utilize I-16 (which is just about anywhere), they have to travel up through the desert of roadways between Statesboro and Augusta/I-20. It is not only a nightmare, but quite worrysome when one's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and I mean nowhere. While economic development for small communities are great, its more important to serve the citizens who are already in place in need of more transportation options. And yes, it is personal to me too, but starting a multi-billion dollar highway project to help your desperate hometown finally get a McDonalds is not as important as the 69,000 - 90,000 people (depending on the season) in Statesboro/Bulloch County. In addition, an I-3 that ends in I-16 just east of Statesboro, also provides easy access to Georgia's S4 Hi-Tech Corridor under development between Statesboro and Savannah.

[Topher1]

^ I completely agree with you on this post. As for the proposed I-3 route, it's really an Augusta - I-16 link I'd be most interested in. I-16 is underutilized and could support additional traffic, and it really is a trecherous mess of rural roadways for people from Augusta to head anywhere south (be it Savannah or Florida)... It also makes sense to see an highway serving Statesboro, although it should also be pointed out that a much larger college town in GA (Athens) is also without a direct interstate connection to the system...

[andremurra]

I always thought that it would be cool to make a kind of arc-type interstate for Georgians. This imaginary arc-expressway would serve Georgia's smaller and medium-underserved markets. It would begin in Valdosta, curve near Waycross, pass near Hinesville, cut by Statesboro on the eastside, cross near Augusta's westside, cut near Athens then complete a Northern Arc or Atlanta which is already in discussion and need. Its silly somewhat, but would help give access to East-Georgia's underserved markets. Also, Athens does have a expressway-like route that connects to Atlanta, although not an interstate. When the interstates were first built, they were built for the military, but were in fact built connecting all the 50,000+ communities. Many communities like Athens, Statesboro, Warner Robins, and Albany have since become qualified in that perspective, but dont have an interstate connection.

Statesboro does have I-16 nearby, but its a quite deserted highway for anyone who has ever been on it and has fought sleepiness and boredom and insanity. I-16 is too far from Statesboro to really impact it economically. Metter, GA has become the Statesboro access point to I-16 although there are two other exits accessed easily from Statesboro. The GA67 exit is growing slowly, but consistently (mainly due to the rapid S4 growth between Statesboro and Savannah), while the US301 exit still only hosts a truck stop, a huddle house, and a 40-room hotel. A lot of growth is occuring at the halfway points between Statesboro and I-16 on both highways, moreso on US301.

[gabulldogs30906]

I totally agree. I-3 is not needed.

the reason you say it isnt needed is because you dont have to drive down the small town roads to go north or south. the interstate would take alot of relief off of i -75 in terms of N-S traffic to the beach areas.

and i am wondering about the ways they will connect to 520.. considering that all the areas that are suggusted are already built up.. and where US 1 connects to 5 20 is a walmart!