Interstate 3

Interstate 3 (I-3), the Third Infantry Division Highway, is an Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States running from Savannah, Georgia, north to Augusta, Georgia, and Knoxville, Tennessee. The highway was proposed in the same federal highway measure that gave birth to a proposal for Interstate 14 (I-14). The southern terminus of I-3 is at US 17 in Savannah, Georgia. The northern terminus is at I-40 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The highway runs through the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

In Georgia, I-3 begins northwest of downtown Savannah. From there, it heads in the northwest direction leading to the towns of Garden City, Springfield, Newington, and Sylvania paralleling most of State Route 21 (GA 21). Then it heads north to Waynesboro before entering into the city of Augusta, paralleling most of US 25.

In South Carolina, after leaving Augusta, Georgia, I-3 enters through North Augusta near the state line, paralleling US 25, then goes through or pass the cities of Edgefield and Greenwood. Then it travels through the city of Greenville.

In North Carolina, I-3 enters the state just south of Highlands, then it curves through the Appalachian Mountains as it links and passes through the east side of Nantahala National Forest.

In Tennessee, I-3 enters the state line as it passes through and links the west side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Then it exits the park and the mountain range pass before traveling pass Townsend. Next, it heads westward to Maryville before turning northward again and terminating at Interstate 40 (I-40) just north of downtown Knoxville.

Route description[]

The actual final route of I-3 is unknown. However, the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation indicated that in Georgia, I-3 would follow the existing Savannah River Parkway (GA 555 and GA 565) from Savannah to Augusta.

Due to the difficulties of building a new highway through the Appalachian Mountains, the highway's proposed route north of Augusta is less clear. In early 2008, officials introduced the possibility of routing I-3 through Greenwood, South Carolina and continuing on to Greenville. Other potential routes continue in Georgia along US 441, US 129 (along the Dragon, an 11-mile-long (18 km) stretch of road in North Carolina and Tennessee adjoining the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 318 curves), or GA 77.

Georgia[]

South Carolina[]

North Carolina[]

Tennessee[]

Numbering[]

The proposed numbering of the highway does not fit within the usual conventions of the existing Interstate Highway grid, where primary north-south highways are assigned odd numbers, and such odd route numbers increase from west to east. Under the normal Interstate Highway grid, I-3 should instead be located on the West Coast between Interstate 1 near the Pacific Ocean and Interstate 5.

Since there is not enough lower odd-numbered Interstates to design, and I-1 and I-5 are located too close to each other, I-3 would withstand being the only lower odd-numbered Interstate located on the East Coast because there are not enough higher odd-numbered Interstates to design, so I-3 is located between I-95, I-85 and I-75.

History[]

In 2005, the SAFETEA-LU was signed into law by then-President George W. Bush. The act included the proposed corridors for the planned I-14 (specifically as the Fourteenth Amendment Highway), and I-3 (as the Third Infantry Division Highway). The legislation did not provide the official numbering, nor did it provide funding for the highways.

The proposed numbering of the highway does not follow the pattern of the existing Interstate Highway grid but is noted to salute and honor the Third Infantry Division of the United States Army, based at Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the existing Savannah River Parkway, which carries the designations GA 555 and GA 565, is open to traffic. It begins just northwest of Savannah at the intersection of I-95 and GA 21/GA 30. It travels northwesterly along GA 21, paralleling the Savannah River, to Millen, where it meets US 25. From Millen, the roadway follows US 25 to I-520 in Augusta. A western branch of the Savannah River Parkway travels from I-16 south of Statesboro north and northwestward (following US 25) to meet the main parkway roadway in Millen.

The proposal currently faces local opposition from groups concerned about the environmental impact of the Interstate Highway. No date for construction of the highway has been set. The federal government began a study of the proposed route in July 2010. In early 2012, the Federal Highway Administration released a report to the United States Congress noting the potential financial and environmental costs of the highway as well as the public opposition.