Proposed interstate would connect Georgia, Mississippi

By Associated Press

For the AJC

MACON — A federal report details plans for a possible new interstate highway that would move traffic from Augusta through central Georgia and Alabama to Natchez, Miss.

The report on the proposed 14th Amendment Highway was obtained by The Telegraph newspaper of Macon under the Freedom of Information Act.

In Georgia, one proposal calls for the interstate cutting through an area just south of Macon.

No funding for the federal route has been identified. The Federal Highway Administration launched the study to meet a congressional mandate.

The report says the new interstate would be more than 600 miles, linking Augusta and Natchez with three other metro areas: Montgomery in Alabama, and Columbus and Macon in Georgia.

"Although several major Interstate highways pass through the corridor, they are all generally oriented in a north-south direction," the report states. "There is no single designated east-west Interstate or other major highway that directly connects all five cities."

The 14th Amendment Highway study examined five options for a new route from Augusta to Natchez. The options ranged from about $296 million to $7.7 billion.

Experts say that even if the new highway is never built, its ideas will likely affect other transportation plans.