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Interstate 14 (a road which has been proposed to run through Central Georgia and connect the Georgia cities of Augusta, Macon and Columbus) is not dead, but is most definitely on the back burner and will likely remain there for the foreseeable future.
The only possible way that an Interstate 14 could be built through Central/Middle Georgia is this climate would be if the road would be sold with a MASSIVE expansion of the metro Atlanta transit network as some sort of way to take traffic off of often severely-congested metro Atlanta roads (most notably I-20).
...And even then a massive road expansion project like I-14 would still be a very hard sell in this political climate where both suburban/exurban and urban metro Atlanta political and social interests would likely step in and actively veto a high-profile Middle Georgia roadbuilding that would be portrayed as a porkbarrel project that would pull extremely limited financial resources away sorely-needed Metro Atlanta transit expansion projects.
Interstate 14 (a road which has been proposed to run through Central Georgia and connect the Georgia cities of Augusta, Macon and Columbus) is not dead, but is most definitely on the back burner and will likely remain there for the foreseeable future.
The only possible way that an Interstate 14 could be built through Central/Middle Georgia is this climate would be if the road would be sold with a MASSIVE expansion of the metro Atlanta transit network as some sort of way to take traffic off of often severely-congested metro Atlanta roads (most notably I-20).
...And even then a massive road expansion project like I-14 would still be a very hard sell in this political climate where both suburban/exurban and urban metro Atlanta political and social interests would likely step in and actively veto a high-profile Middle Georgia roadbuilding that would be portrayed as a porkbarrel project that would pull extremely limited financial resources away sorely-needed Metro Atlanta transit expansion projects.
The section from Macon to Columbus is not that big a deal. Its merely upgrades.
The section from Macon to Columbus is not that big a deal. Its merely upgrades.
This is a good point....Much of the existing roadway that connects the Columbus and Macon areas has already been upgraded into a four-lane surface roadway as part of the nearly-completed Fall Line Freeway project.
The Fall Line Freeway project was undertaken by state government largely because a surface roadway expansion project would not draw the same severe political ire from often road construction-averse metro Atlanta political and social interests that the attempted construction of a controlled-access Interstate-standard superhighway would.
Honestly I don't see why Metro Atlanta would care about a new interstate construction in the "Other Georgia". If anything they should welcome it. With the amount of truck traffic through Metro Atlanta, which will only increase with the expansion of the Savannah Port, Metro Atlanta should welcome a new interstate through Middle Georgia to take pressure off of Metro Atlanta's interstates. Also with the with the new TSPLOST 2.0 legislation passed and increased funds for GDOT, Metro Atlanta shouldn't dictate about what new interstates could be built in Georgia. It's ridiculous that nearly every interstate leads to Atlanta. Even in Illinois and New York State, not every interstate in those states lead to Chicago or New York. Also, Metro Atlanta should welcome and encourage growth in the state's second-tier cities. While I know its too late for cities like Savannah, Macon or Augusta to be like cities in North Carolina, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to compete with cities in South Carolina like Greenville, Columbia or Charleston. Finally, here's an article from the AJC's Kyle Wingfield that sums up how I feel about this: Why Atlanta needs help from the ‘other Georgia’ | Kyle Wingfield
Honestly I don't see why Metro Atlanta would care about a new interstate construction in the "Other Georgia". If anything they should welcome it. With the amount of truck traffic through Metro Atlanta, which will only increase with the expansion of the Savannah Port, Metro Atlanta should welcome a new interstate through Middle Georgia to take pressure off of Metro Atlanta's interstates. Also with the with the new TSPLOST 2.0 legislation passed and increased funds for GDOT, Metro Atlanta shouldn't dictate about what new interstates could be built in Georgia. It's ridiculous that nearly every interstate leads to Atlanta. Even in Illinois and New York State, not every interstate in those states lead to Chicago or New York. Also, Metro Atlanta should welcome and encourage growth in the state's second-tier cities. While I know its too late for cities like Savannah, Macon or Augusta to be like cities in North Carolina, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to compete with cities in South Carolina like Greenville, Columbia or Charleston. Finally, here's an article from the AJC's Kyle Wingfield that sums up how I feel about this: Why Atlanta needs help from the ‘other Georgia’ | Kyle Wingfield
You make an excellent point that Metro Atlanta should not only not care about a new interstate being constructed through the "Other Georgia" but should also welcome the construction of a new interstate being constructed through the "Other Georgia" (sparsely-populated Middle Georgia) as a means of taking a significant amount of through traffic off of metro Atlanta interstates like I-20.
You also make an excellent point that Metro Atlanta should not be able to dictate what new interstates (and Interstate-standard highways) can be built in other parts of Georgia outside of Metro Atlanta, especially when there is such a pressing need for economic development in other parts of Georgia outside of Metro Atlanta.
But with the Atlanta metro region being home to about 60% or so of Georgia's population and with Metro Atlanta virtually almost completely dominating the state of Georgia socially, culturally, politically and economically (in much the same way that Chicago completely dominates Illinois and New York City completely dominates New York State in almost every way imaginable), the reality is that Metro Atlanta effectively can dictate what new Interstate-standard highways can be built in other parts of Georgia outside of Metro Atlanta.
It's not fair, especially when Metro Atlantans seem to apply the same expectations of roadbuilding to the rest of Georgia that they apply to Metro Atlanta where most proposed new freeway construction is often blocked and punished with political consequences because no one wants a new freeway to be built near the existing development where they may live and everyone is extremely sensitive about the prospect of fostering new sprawl and overdevelopment.
As far Metro Atlanta encouraging growth in the state's second-tier cities....Growth can be encouraged in second-tier cities to a limited extent (particularly with the development of exurban regional commuter and interurban passenger rail connections between Atlanta and outlying second-tier cities like Columbus, Macon/Warner Robins, Rome. Athens, Augusta, etc, and especially as continued crushing population growth in Metro Atlanta leads to housing shortages and rising real estate prices)....But encouraging growth in second-tier metros will always be a challenge because (just as Chicago is the overwhelmingly dominant draw in Illinois and New York City is the overwhelmingly dominant draw in New York State) Atlanta is the overwhelmingly dominant draw in Georgia.
In states like Washington State (Seattle), Georgia (Atlanta), Illinois (Chicago) and New York State (New York City) where a state is completely dominated by one very large overwhelmingly dominant mega-sized major metro region, people most often want to live in, very near and closest to the large major metro area where they know all of the amenities they desire are located (amenities like transportation connections, cultural/social activities, economic opportunities, entertainment, shopping, high-quality public schools, etc).
People know that those amenities they desire will be a very large major metro region like Atlanta (or Chicago or New York or Seattle), but they are not anywhere nearly as sure that those will be in smaller second-tier cities like Columbus, Macon, Augusta, etc.
The same phenomenon happens in other states that are dominated by one or two very large major metro regions where most population and economic growth occurs in one large major metro area at the expense at the rest of the state.
That's because growth is not necessarily something that can be easily managed and/or equally dispersed in a free society where people are free to choose where they want to live....Which in most cases people (whether rightfully or wrongfully) will choose to live where think they will have the most amenities and opportunities for advancement and enrichment.
Growth (both economically and population-wise) is a popularity contest where people will go to the most high-profile locations where they believe they will have the most life opportunities.
It is also difficult to attempt to bring second-tier Georgia cities in line with first-tier cities in a state like South Carolina because a state like SC does not an overwhelmingly dominant metro area sucking all of the political, social, cultural and economic air out of the room like Georgia does in metro Atlanta.
Just like the presence of metro Atlanta in Georgia makes it difficult for other major roads to be built in other parts of the state (despite the obviously pressing need for an east-west Interstate to be built in Middle Georgia), the presence of Metro Atlanta in Georgia makes it difficult for second-tier cities to grow to the level of first-tier cities in South Carolina and North Carolina....That's because "Atlanta" is not just the headlining city in Georgia, but is also one of the absolute major headlining cities in the entire Southeast, in the entire U.S. and on the entire North American continent.
If second-tier and third-tier Georgia cities are ever able to tap directly into the Atlanta brand name in some way, shape or form, they too might also be able to tap directly into the explosive growth of the Atlanta metro region....But until then Georgia's second-tier cities will likely continue to struggle to achieve the kind of explosive growth that Atlanta has experienced over the past 7 decades or so.
While I agree with the points you bring up, even in Chicago business leaders pushed for the development of I-39 as a bypass for truckers to avoid Chicago's traffic and toll roads. If anything, if Metro Atlanta's business community can be convinced of the economic and societal benefits of I-14 it can speed up its development. I-14 I feel will become a reality in this state. Not only is Texas developing their portion, but even Alabama is pushing for a westward extension of I-85 to meet I-20 at Cuba,AL which is near the Alabama/Mississippi border. It would be foolish for Georgia to be left behind. Another point about high development in Georgia; Atlanta isn't the only fast growing metro in the state. Savannah is been booming for the last 15 years and is growing more every year. The interstate system down there, save for the widening of I-95 to six lanes in the early 90s, has not been upgraded to handle the population and economic growth at the port. Savannah is probably the only other city in the state that has regular interstate rush hour traffic. I-16 and I-516 are parking lots in the morning and afternoon. Augusta has cyber command, Augusta University and SRS contributing to their healthy growth rates. Macon is also starting to turn the corner, after it consolidated with Bibb County. Since the merger, the city has seen hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Mercer is leading the charge to make Macon one of the premier urban centers in the state and its doing a good job so far. Macon by far has the best urban stock in the state besides Atlanta and Savannah. Also Macon is beginning to take advantage of its central location is quickly becoming a logistics hotspot. Finally, the mayor of Macon is pushing for closer ties to Atlanta through a commuter rail line from Macon's historic Terminal Station to Downtown Atlanta. While our second-tier cities will never be anything like cities in North Carolina, Texas or Florida, that doesn't mean that they can't compete with other cities in the region like Chattanooga, Greenville, or Huntsville. Also unlike Illinois and New York State, our second-tier cities are growing. I just wish the state would offer more help on the infrastructure side to help them compete even more.
I think proposed I14 needs too happen because it would help out atlanta a little with the traffic congestion. And people traveling down from the northeast can take I14 instead of having too take I20 or I85 threw atlanta and can shoot right over too texas using I14 instead of having too travel threw busy atlanta or birmingham. You would think that the polticans of atlanta would want the proposed I14 built because this would help out atlanta and the state as a whole. Atlanta has too many interstates coming out of the area and that causes a bottle neck that's why it's so congested. With texas approving 700 miles of there I14 next in line I could see mississippi being next and then alabama and then hopefully georgia it will be like a dominoes effect. So i do see i14 being constructed sometime in the near future maybe 20 years from now. As atlanta metro continues too grow I14 will be needed too help travelers and truckers avoid atlanta.
Last edited by columbusgacity.; 12-16-2015 at 09:34 PM..
While I agree with the points you bring up, even in Chicago business leaders pushed for the development of I-39 as a bypass for truckers to avoid Chicago's traffic and toll roads. If anything, if Metro Atlanta's business community can be convinced of the economic and societal benefits of I-14 it can speed up its development.
That's a good point about how I-39 was built as a way for through traffic to bypass Chicago to the west.
Though one key difference between Chicago and Atlanta is that Chicago's regional transit network has effectively been built-out for decades while Atlanta's regional transit network is nowhere near build-out and continues to be underbuilt and severely underdeveloped for a very large major metro region of its size and importance.
Building a new all-terrain Interstate superhighway through sparsely-populated Middle Georgia would be an extremely (if not exceptionally) difficult sell politically when Metro Atlanta's multimodal transportation network remains severely underdeveloped.
Because Metro Atlanta's multimodal transportation network remains so severely underdeveloped, just the mere proposal of the construction of a new I-14 through sparsely-populated Middle Georgia would become an extreme lightning rod that would instantly become portrayed in the big-city Atlanta media as a porkbarrel transportation project that would divert billions of dollars of finite transportation funds away from severely needed transit expansion projects in Metro Atlanta....A politically-charged prospect that would undoubtedly anger a road construction-averse Metro Atlanta/North Georgia electorate and likely have significant political consequences.
Getting Metro Atlanta's business community to support the construction of an I-14 through Middle Georgia would be difficult (if not impossible) at this point because the attention of the Metro Atlanta business community seems to be (increasingly) focused on pushing for the critically-needed expansion of Metro Atlanta's severely-undersized multimodal transportation network (particularly transit).
Though, the Metro Atlanta quite possibly might be open to the prospect of supporting the construction of an I-14 through Middle Georgia after the complete (or nearly complete) build-out of the Metro Atlanta transit network....Though such a build-out of Metro Atlanta's currently severely-undersized transit network (and thereby the Metro Atlanta business community support of the construction of an Interstate-standard superhighway through Middle Georgia) remains decades away in the future at this point in time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airforceguy
I-14 I feel will become a reality in this state. Not only is Texas developing their portion, but even Alabama is pushing for a westward extension of I-85 to meet I-20 at Cuba,AL which is near the Alabama/Mississippi border. It would be foolish for Georgia to be left behind.
I think that the construction of an I-14 through Middle Georgia is not out of the realm of possibility....Though I think that the development of an I-14 could only be a possibility if a road construction-averse Metro Atlanta electorate were to be distracted and passified with the MASSIVE expansion of Metro Atlanta's currently severely inadequate regional transit network.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airforceguy
Another point about high development in Georgia; Atlanta isn't the only fast growing metro in the state. Savannah is been booming for the last 15 years and is growing more every year. The interstate system down there, save for the widening of I-95 to six lanes in the early 90s, has not been upgraded to handle the population and economic growth at the port. Savannah is probably the only other city in the state that has regular interstate rush hour traffic. I-16 and I-516 are parking lots in the morning and afternoon. Augusta has cyber command, Augusta University and SRS contributing to their healthy growth rates. Macon is also starting to turn the corner, after it consolidated with Bibb County. Since the merger, the city has seen hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Mercer is leading the charge to make Macon one of the premier urban centers in the state and its doing a good job so far. Macon by far has the best urban stock in the state besides Atlanta and Savannah. Also Macon is beginning to take advantage of its central location is quickly becoming a logistics hotspot. Finally, the mayor of Macon is pushing for closer ties to Atlanta through a commuter rail line from Macon's historic Terminal Station to Downtown Atlanta. While our second-tier cities will never be anything like cities in North Carolina, Texas or Florida, that doesn't mean that they can't compete with other cities in the region like Chattanooga, Greenville, or Huntsville. Also unlike Illinois and New York State, our second-tier cities are growing. I just wish the state would offer more help on the infrastructure side to help them compete even more.
Excellent points and analysis of Georgia's second-tier cities.
I agree with your desire that the State of Georgia should offer more help on infrastructure development to help the state's second-tier cities better compete....Though, the State of Georgia has often been severely lacking when it comes to helping the state's largest and most-dominant metro region (Atlanta) compete and handle crushing population growth....So if the state often has not been providing the infrastructure to help its largest and fattest cash cow (Metro Atlanta) compete in the extremely lucrative global marketplace, it should come as no surprise that the state is not doing anywhere near as much as it should to provide the infrastructure to help its second-tier cities better compete in the regional marketplace.
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