Tue
Jun 13 2006
11:07 am
I-3 insanity
By: R. Neal

Yesterday's Knoxville News Sentinel had an update on the proposed I-3 project, which would create a $50 billion, 450 mile interstate highway from Savannah, GA, to Knoxville where it would connect to I-75. Here's an AP report. Here is KNS's map of the proposed route.

Read more after the jump...

Environmental groups oppose it because it runs through the wild, undeveloped Southern Appalachians in North Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, skirting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are also concerns about traffic and pollution in Knoxville, where two major U.S. Interstates (I-75 and I-40)already intersect, fed by I-81, another major U.S. Interstate.

Opponents also say there is a hidden nuclear agenda involving shipment of nuclear weapons materials and hazardous nuclear waste between the DOE Savannah River Site and Oak Ridge.

Proponents say it will connect Savannah to the Midwest to improve commerce and stimulate new industrial development.

Neither recent news article mentions an important fact, though. Maybe I'm missing something, but Savannah already has an Interstate highway route all the way to Knoxville by way of I-95, I-26, and I-40. According to MapQuest, the existing, all-Interstate route is only 419 miles, downtown to downtown, as opposed to the $50 billion, 450 mile proposed route.

Not only is I-3 not needed, and not only will it wreck portions of the Southern Appalachian ecosystem, it appears that it is nothing more than a massive $50 billion boondoggle for road builders and land speculators. Why we're spending $1.3 million to study it is beyond me. For more info, see StopI-3.org.

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Brian A.'s picture

Smells like a boondogle

Submitted by Brian A. on Tue, 2006/06/13 - 12:53pm.

 If whoever really feels there's a need for an interstate in East Georgia, a more reasonable alternative is to build one from the coast along the Georgia/South Carolina border to north of Augusta.   Then cut through Greenville, SC to Asheville, NC, where traffic can travel on I-40 across the mountains.

 No need to build a another concrete monstrosity through the Appalachians.

Can I collect $1.3 million for my money-saving and more-environmentally friendly plan?

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

F-Stop's picture

New interstate highway =

Submitted by F-Stop on Tue, 2006/06/13 - 4:08pm.

New interstate highway = more delicious sprawl sites for the gang of usual suspects.

gttim's picture

I gotta say....

Submitted by gttim on Tue, 2006/06/13 - 10:09pm.

An interstate from Knoxville to Savannah might take some trafiic off 75 and 285.

Andy Axel's picture

Jesus.

Submitted by Andy Axel on Wed, 2006/06/14 - 11:29am.

I am just getting caught up on this.

Most of the proposed routes show US-129 being used as an anchor from Pelissippi Parkway all the way through to the GA/SC corner.

See here as a for-instance... (link...)

In any event, it looks like many plans involve putting an interstate right through Alcoa/Maryville.

Others from Cleveland right through to Ducktown and right on through Hiawassee (so much for enjoying the Ocoee or the Chatooga).

Awful, awful stuff.

____________________________

"The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco." -- G.K.

Old Hickory's picture

Looks Like Shortcut for Haslam to Hilton Head

Submitted by Old Hickory (not verified) on Wed, 2006/06/14 - 12:10pm.

Looks like a short cut for Big Jim Haslam to Hilton Head Island to his house there.

Milo Bloom's picture

Thank Goodness!

Submitted by Milo Bloom on Tue, 2006/06/20 - 1:50pm.

Thank the good Lord!  Up to now, there has been absolutely no way to get to Savannah from Knoxville! 

We have had to ford rivers in our Conestoga wagon, board ferries run by unscrupulous operators, and pay questionable tolls to travel through frighteningly dense woods for weeks just to reach our beloved and economically prosperous port of Savannah with our precious cargo of raccoon pelts.

Oh wait; wrong century.  We can just use I-75/16 and be there in nine hours. 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. 

fletch's picture

I've mentioned this before

Submitted by fletch (not verified) on Tue, 2006/06/20 - 2:02pm.

I've mentioned this before but it merits another comment....

One of the justifications for this new interstate is defense. I fail to see the logic. If this road is built, it opens up a path for the Yankees directly to Atlanta and Savannah. Last time in 1864 they had to come down I-24 from Nashville and then I-75 thru Chattanooga. East Tennessee is a known region for Union sympathizers also. It would be interesting to see who is really behind this scheme, probably a bunch of carpetbaggers.

 

tennesseevaluesauthority's picture

There's an even quicker way...

Submitted by tennesseevalues... on Tue, 2006/06/20 - 4:48pm.

Milo suggested: <<Oh wait; wrong century.  We can just use I-75/16 and be there in nine hours.>>

You can get there faster than that if you take I-40 to Asheville then I-26 towards Charleston and, finally I-95 to Savannah. It's about 7 hours by horseless carriage that way. You can proabably get there even faster by this route if you don't particularly care about speeding tickets.

 

Factchecker's picture

Why?

Submitted by Factchecker on Tue, 2006/06/20 - 5:37pm.

And we need "to improve commerce and stimulate new industrial development" just WHY???  

Besides wrecking what's left of what used to be a lot of paradise, imagine what $50b could do to further domestic clean energy renewables, or toward more environmentally responsible mass transit. 

Such stupid and sick ideas at the worst time and with money government doesn't have.  This is just short-sighted BIG-ASS gov't.  

_________________________________

Never has the left been so right.

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