Expanding on a previous post, the development of proposed I-3 has taken a fresh turn as legislators push for development and opposition continues to mount. There have been set-backs and victories on all sides, and now the stakes are raised. I-3 is moving slowly towards the first inklings of action while another major road is proposed through the same region. Like an ancient, sleeping monster, the cliche-inspired “Corridor K” has reared its head to threaten not one, but two major recreational rivers and two wilderness areas.
I-3 Update:
After years of political maneuvering and bureaucratic mire, 1.3 million dollars have been allocated to study possible routes for I-3. Even this seemingly small step has not gone without controversy or contention. Paul Broun of Georgia campaigned against I-3 last year and won a seat in the House of Representatives, affirming,”I am totally against I-3. I would like to de-fund the study” on June 29, 2007. Safely elected, today he sings a different tune; he favors the road but not in his home state: ”There are always environmental impacts from a highway, but it would be much less on the South Carolina side than on the Georgia side.” But even before Broun’s turn around, local opposition has been fierce in Georgia.
“In a town hall meeting in Hiawassee on May 24th 2005, 650 people showed up to voice an overwhelming opposition to the project. Then on June 7th in Rabun County, 178 citizens applauded and gave a standing ovation to the Rabun County Commissioner’s unanimous opposition to the proposed interstate through the north Georgia mountains.”
I recently called Buzz Williams of the Chattoga Conservancy to confirm local sentiment. He was crystal clear: “Absolutely… they’re vehemently against it.”
Meanwhile in South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham has bigger fish to fry. “I-73 is the top dog in South Carolina,” affirmed Graham’s spokesman Kevin Bishop. I-73 in an unrelated project that would run along South Carolina’s east coast to Myrtle Beach, a popular tourist destination. On top of ambivalent political support in South Carolina, air quality concerns could debunk the project. The small cities of Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson already failed EPA air quality standards in 2004; that issue must be addressed before a new highway can be built.
Given the lack of enthusiasm in mountain communities, ambivalent political support, and already-taxed air quality in the lowlands, I couldn’t help but wonder why the government was spending $1.3 million to push the project along. Mr. Williams provided the answer. “It’s no secret at all who’s pushing this,” he said and cited the Port of Savannah, large corporate chains that would build along the new highway, and contractors who hope to build the road. Environmentalists and mountain communities hope to eventually bury I-3, but the project is far from dead. Even if I-3 were to fall, another head from the same hydra has risen to takes its place.
Corridor K:
Corridor K is part of the 1967 Appalachian Regional Commission‘s plan to build four-lane divided roads through remote mountain regions as a means of economic development. Corridor K was designed to link Asheville N.C. to my own Chattanooga TN. Most of Corridor K is already built, but “the sections that have not been constructed are planned through the most difficult terrain and some of the most sensitive habitat and scenic areas of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.”
One such section of Corridor K runs along the Ocoee River and between Big Frog and Little Frog Wilderness areas. The Ocoee River hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic whitewater competitions and is also still recovering from early 20th century copper mining activity that sterilized the river. Corridor K would forge north of the current two-lane road, possibly through the Little Frog Wilderness. That route would cost billions because of the terrain. The benefit would be the outdated promise of “7,000 jobs and $210 million in new personal income”. The cost would be fracturing 70-year old mature forest that hosts threatened and endangered species. It’s also prime black bear habitat. Conservationists are also concerned because “the north slopes of the wilderness drain into the last wild stretch of the Hiwassee River.” Stop I-3 and the Chattooga Conservancy are involved because they fear that building Corridor K would pave the way (no pun intended) for I-3.
Opponents point to the existing two-lane road, U.S.-64, and claim that improvements should be made before a whole new road is built. Having driven that road many times, I can agree. It tends to be well-paved, but it hugs the blasted cliff-face so snugly that sometimes fallen rocks or boulders obstruct the road. One particularly hazardous curve features bare rock leaning over and into the lane. The shoulder on the river side plays parking lot for hordes of weekend or summer whitewater enthusiasts. Expanding U.S.-64 would require the liberal application of dynamite, and I suspect Corridor K just over the next ridge would need the same.
Like I-3, Corridor K is still in the planning stages. An environmental impact study is being conducted and funds sought for construction.
Resources:
The Appalachian Regional Commission
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
Photo Credit:
Earl’s Ford on the Chattooga courtesy of Justin Barstow via Flickr
Ocoee River courtesy of Rafting America
Corridor K courtesy of the Sierra Club
About Michelle Bennett
