My first activist post! 🙂
Interstate 3 is a proposed highway that would run from Savannah to Knoxville via Augusta. It’s a sucky idea for many reasons, especially because it would barrel right through some of the most beautiful wild places in Georgia and North Carolina. It would also run over one of the sweetest motorcycle rides in the country, the “Tail of the Dragon”, located along the North Carolina/Tennessee border on US-129.
Some facts from the Stop I-3 Campaign, a project of Ways South:
- A shorter interstate route from Savannah to Knoxville currently exists (I-95 to I-26 to I-40).
- The proposed highway threatens four National Forests and Great Smoky National Park. The damage to the mountain ecosystem, water and air quality, endangered species, local economies, and the beauty of the region would be irreversible.
- The cost to build interstates through mountains is over $25 million per mile. Even non-mountain interstates cost $15 million per mile.
Sucky! So if you love beautiful roads and forests and our national parks, get involved and let’s kill this silly idea!
Yeah, This is from awhile back, but it’s disturbing nonetheless. We haven’t really talked about it yet, but I’ve been to the dragon several times. It’s a long ride from Highlands and Glen Falls, but I made that trip in 2007. There’s some great country up there. I’d love to get back there this summer. Hint….