The subject of Regency Mall continues to come up in most any discussion of revitalizing south Augusta, but little is said about the reasons why the mall failed.

Primary among these reasons is the lack of traffic arteries to and from the central city. Our city of Augusta has isolated south Augusta by failing to improve north-south transportation along the most direct routes.

We did an effective job of eliminating access to the south on 13th Street, which funnels into R.A. Dent Boulevard -- once Railroad Avenue and later University Place -- and goes to Wrightsboro Road with no way to continue on a southerly direction. We also widened 15th Street to the Wrightsboro Road overpass -- then reduced to a two-lane road -- the site of riots since the 1970s. A city with Augusta's resources should be able to clean up a one-mile stretch of 15th Street and widen to to five lanes, even if we have to build a bridge to get over the war zone.

Another opportunity for a north-south artery is to follow the 1950s path of U.S. Highway 1.

Going north on Twiggs Street from Walton Way to proceed along once-thriving Milledgeville Road -- now lined with vacant fields and empty buildings -- we easily understand why the street no longer is a bustling thoroughfare. Fifty years ago, this was the only way through Augusta -- U.S. highways 1, 25, 78 and 278. Very sad.