Next week, two City Council committees are likely to vote on a key document that, if not approved, could cause state and federal highway officials paying for the work to start spending their money elsewhere. If funds are not obligated for the project this federal fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the expansion may be delayed for up to eight years, the mayor said.
I have personally driven through the I-16/I-75 interchange and can tell you that it truly does need to be reconstructed and made much safer, especially considering that this is a critical route from Atlanta to the Port of Savannah. IMHO, I-16 is not a typical "developmental highway" in a "pork-barrel" sense, but a critical link between Metro Atlanta and the Port of Savannah for the movement of container trucks to and from Atlanta. For this reason alone, the I-16/I-75 interchange needs to be modernized to reduce the potential of accidents, especially between passenger cars and tractor-trailers.
Given both GDOT's "money woes" and the current lack of federal monies from the Highway Trust Fund due to a decrease in federal motor fuel tax income (please see this Associated Press article for details), I hope that Macon's leaders will act accordingly to help ensure that their portion of the Interstate Highway System is as modern as can be for the safety of the traveling public and for those who drive the "big rigs". As a roadgeek, I look forward to seeing this particular project start and driving it once work is complete.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading and please come back again.
9/20/2008 12:37 PMBryant wrote:
This interchange needs to be reconstructed. Left exits and entrances can be very dangerous, due to slower traffic being in the "hammer lane." I-20 and I-285 on the Westside of Atlanta needs to be reconstructed, too. It's a bear in the early mornings and afternoons. Reply to this
Copyright 2007. Steve Williams. All rights reserved.
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