Interstates 3 and 14
SELC joins with citizens in opposing massive interstate projects
©Bill Lea
A proposal to cut a new interstate across the South has sparked a multi-state, grassroots effort to stop the project before it gets started. Proposed Interstate 3 would run approximately 400 miles from Knoxville to Savannah, tearing through wetlands, fields and forests and threatening the economic vitality of rural communities along the way.
The massive project, estimated to cost between $10 billion and $50 billion, would serve little, if any, transportation need in the region. Rather, it would harm wildlife habitat and water quality, and degrade scenic views in the mountains, where many communities rely on tourism. Initial plans show the highway would run for miles along the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and cut through parts of the Cherokee, Nantahala and Chattahoochee national forests (in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia, respectively).
Important historical and archaeological sites such as the Nacoochee Mound, the remains of an ancient Cherokee village in Georgia, could also be jeopardized. The project would impair numerous special places where millions of visitors and residents enjoy hiking, rafting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also in the works is another proposed interstate, equally unnecessary and potentially damaging. Interstate 14 would run form Natchez, Mississippi across the South and join I-3, perhaps in Georgia, to end in Savannah.
Both projects are being pushed by as economic development projects in the “underserved” region. In addition, I-3 is touted as relieving traffic congestion north of metro Atlanta, though Atlanta’s traffic problem is due almost entirely to local commuters who would likely not use the interstate.
Massive highway projects in the rural South rarely provide the economic benefits that are promised. Instead, smaller communities lose out as retail and service businesses leave downtown areas and move into new strip malls and shopping centers that spring up at interstate exits. Southern communities are increasingly emphasizing scenic beauty, natural resources and outdoor recreation to diversify the economy.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is working to halt further funding or planning of either project. We serve on the executive committee of the Stop I-3 Coalition, comprised of individuals, civic groups, and conservation groups, and provide the legal strategy for the group. We are also working with concerned citizens in Alabama and Georgia to oppose I-14.
