Interstate 14

This article is about the proposed Interstate Highway. For the current state highway, see Georgia State Route 14.

Interstate 14 marker

Interstate 14
Major junctions
West end: Natchez, Mississippi or Alexandria, Louisiana
East end: Augusta, Georgia or North Augusta, South Carolina
Highway system

Interstate 14 (I-14), the Fourteenth Amendment Highway, is a proposed interstate set to run from Natchez, Mississippi or Alexandria, Louisiana, to Augusta, Georgia or North Augusta, South Carolina. It is named for the 14th Amendment (with its due process and equal protection clauses written after the American Civil War) to the U.S. Constitution.[1] The proposal for I-14 has its origins in the same federal legislation tied to I-3, which is proposed to run from Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee.

History

In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was signed into law by President George W. Bush; congressional advocacy for the legislation spiked following the post-Hurricane Katrina logistics controversies.[2] The act included a designation for I-14 (specifically as the 14th Amendment Highway), and I-3 (as the 3rd Infantry Division Highway). The legislation did not provide funding for the highways, however.

Route description

The final route of I-14 is unknown, but the 2005 SAFETEA-LU legislation indicated that in Georgia, I-14 would follow the existing Fall Line Freeway, which runs from Columbus to Augusta, by way of Macon and Milledgeville. The present Fall Line Freeway roadway, which is presently under construction, is signed in Georgia as State Route 540.

The Fall Line Freeway highway in Georgia, which, as of March 2012 is 95 percent complete, follows US 80 from Columbus eastward to Geneva, SR 96 then to Fort Valley, and SR 49 Connector, and SR 49 to Byron, where it joins I-75. It follows I-75 to Macon, then proceeds east along or near SR 57 as far as the Wilkinson County line. Possibly on I-75 to Eisenhower Parkway with its extension that connects to GA 57 The Fall Line Freeway then proceeds northeastward mostly on new roadway until it reaches SR 24 just southeast of Milledgeville, and it then follows SR 24, SR 88, and US 1 to Augusta, ending at I-520.[3] Contrary to the road's name, it is not a controlled-access highway.

As of autumn 2013, research and funding into the designation and construction of I-14 is currently focused on a Georgia-to-Mississippi route, though a number of transportation and business advocacy organizations in Louisiana and Texas argue for the continuation of the new interstate into their states. The Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Commission advocates the continuation of I-14 from its planned western terminus in Natchez, MS through Alexandria, LA to Killeen, TX and on to a new western terminus in El Paso, TX. Such an extension would serve to directly connect seven U.S. military installations: Fort Bliss (El Paso, TX), Fort Hood (Killeen, TX), Fort Polk (Leesville, LA), Camp Beauregard (Alexandria, LA), Fort Benning (Columbus, GA), Robins Air Force Base (Macon, GA), and Fort Gordon (Augusta, GA).[4] In fall 2013, municipalities adjacent to Fort Hood, TX along US 190, currently built to interstate standards, argued for the addition of the I-14 designator to the highway and its inclusion in the Interstate Highway System. [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Press Release from the office of Sen. Isakson". Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  2. ↑ "''Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition'' - Project Overview". Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  3. ↑ "GRIP Corridor Fact Sheets - Fall Line Freeway" (PDF). Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Gulf Coast Strategic Highway System Overview". Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Killeen groups leading effort to get additional name for U.S. Highway 190". Killeen Daily Herald. November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.

External links