Saxby Chambliss: “today we are introducing legislation, two bills that I hope will pave the way to correct a half a century of…”

“today we are introducing legislation, two bills that I hope will pave the way to correct a half a century of transportation inequity in the Southern United States. First, I am introducing a bill, supported by Senators Isakson, Lott, and Cochran, that proposes a new interstate highway, Interstate 14 or ``I-14,'' linking Augusta, Macon and Columbus, GA connecting through Montgomery, AL and going all the way to Natchez, MS. Second, my colleague from Georgia, Senator Isakson and I are proposing the creation of Interstate 3 or ``I-3'', linking Savannah and Augusta, GA to Knoxville, TN. In the 108th Congress, Senator Miller and I introduced these bills. If passed, they would require the Secretary of Transportation to study and report to the appropriate committees of Congress, before December 31, 2005, the steps and estimated funding necessary to designate and construct these new interstate highways. These proposals are multi-purpose plans. They would naturally improve the interconnectivity and highway safety for those in the Deep South. Also, they would help provide the badly needed economic development to areas of the South ignored by our current interstate grid, and improve the national defense highway linkage for which our interstate system was originally designed.”