ATHENS, Ga. - In the mountain areas of north Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, opposition is building to a proposed new interstate that would run from Knoxville, Tenn., to Savannah.
Farther south, in east Georgia, reaction so far is lukewarm, at best, to Interstate 3, an idea being championed by U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, an Augusta Republican.
Like the man who first introduced the idea last fall, former U.S. Rep. Max Burns, Mr. Norwood says the highway could bring economic development to rural, relatively poor areas along its way - counties such as Franklin, Elbert, Hart and Stephens, which lie well outside the Atlanta economic engine. Mr. Burns proposed both Interstate 3 and Interstate 14, which would link Augusta with Natchez, Miss., during a tough re-election campaign that he ultimately lost to Athens lawyer John Barrow.
Mr. Norwood and other I-3 supporters have inserted a $400,000 line item into House and Senate versions of a pending federal transportation bill to study the feasibility of the two superhighways.
A spokesman for Mr. Norwood's office, John Stone, says the $400,000 is virtually certain to remain when the bill's final version is settled by a House-Senate conference committee as early as next week.
As funding gets nearer, though, opposition has grown, and not just from environmental groups.
Opponents say I-3 would damage fragile mountain forest areas, hurt tourist economies and be a multibillion-dollar waste of money because it would be just 15 miles shorter than existing interstate links between Savannah and Knoxville.
The Rabun County Commission in north Georgia unanimously voted this month to oppose the idea. In counties closer to the Athens area, some say other transportation projects would have more impact. I-3 could one day be an economic boon for Stephens County, but other, less costly projects should come first, said Cynthia Brown, the president of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm a lot more concerned about the widening of (Georgia Highway) 17," Ms. Brown said.
Improved railroad capacity is also a top priority for the area, she said.
Toccoa is one of the northeast Georgia cities that lie along the route proposed for I-3, along with Lincolnton, Elberton and Hartwell. The proposed route would follow Georgia Highway 79 from Lincolnton to Georgia Highway 72 near Elberton, then follow Georgia Highway 77 from Elberton to near Hartwell, then Georgia Highway 17 through Franklin County to Toccoa, Clarkesville and Hiawassee, according to a conceptual map that Mr. Norwood published.
Though a new interstate might take many years to become a reality, widening Georgia 17 could be done much sooner, Ms. Brown said - and that would greatly improve access to busy Interstate Highway 85 for many of Stephens County's largest industries, she said.
So far, there's been little talk in Toccoa in favor of or against I-3, she said. Few people interviewed along Georgia 77 between Hartwell and Elberton last week had even heard of the proposal.
Businesswoman Gina Huntsinger hadn't heard of it but said she liked the idea. An interstate highway would bring more people, more cars and more business for the two businesses she and her husband operate in Hartwell, the Campfire Grill Restaurant and Tugaloo Fishing Hole bait and tackle shop.
