I was disappointed in Dr. Billy Jenkins' novelette in last week's paper ("Interstate 3 and other roads I've known," White County News•Telegraph, Jan. 19, 2006). In writing, quantity will never be an acceptable substitute for quality. He nostalgically mentioned Hwy. 129 from back in the ‘60's, but didn't mention the hundreds of citizens from White, Rabun and Towns counties that fought to keep the Appalachian Highway Corridor out of this area in the same decade. That unfinished highway is known today as Ga. 400. It was proven to be too devastating to the environment to build a road of that magnitude in this area.

I am glad that Dr. Jenkins has given the matter of the proposed interstate considerable thought. I too have given it much thought, but unlike him I am not ready to quit caring about these mountains. I must admit that I didn't understand his statement that I-75 was Georgia's only north-south interstate after he had named seven other north-south interstates in Georgia that included spurs. Ten to 15 years ago all the talk was about Georgia not having many east-west roads.

Interstate 3 is a big economic deal. Just not for us. If The Home Depot, Goody's and the others can move more products from China to the U.S. mid-west (via the Georgia Port Authority), we won't have to bother ourselves with manufacturing anything in America. Since the originally proposed route for I-3 would only save around 15 miles as opposed to driving the I-26/I-40 route, perhaps there is another reason for paving over the forests.

As far as routes, I am inclined to disagree with Dr. Jenkins and agree with a Georgia state representative that said the best route would be to build I-3 south of Cleveland and incorporate the future east-west Mountain Expressway. That way you can cut up Town Creek, intersect with the next section of Ga. 400 and cut down Neal's Gap, which is what they wanted to do back in the ‘60's. That is if they can work out that nasty right-of-way issue over in Lumpkin County. That way we can be one of those many nameless, little places that we see from the interstate on our way to Savannah that we don't stop at because we want to get there fast.

Dr. Jenkins can also forget the reprisal of Grenada, we're under attack from China. I'm not talking about the lead content of your Christmas ornaments. Just look at the national debt and our international loan sharks. That comes from someone getting high (in the U.S. government) and saying, let's spend $1.32 million on a study to build the mother-of-all Atlanta bypasses in an area where the terrain is so tough our great-great-great grandchildren will still be paying for it. Look around. This place is a mess. It's time to clean house, and the senate.

Roger Williams
White County

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Citizens Speak Letters-to-the-Editor and Editorial Opinions from the Regional and National Press and individuals' letters to the Stop I-3 Coalition

I-3 is all about ... Chinese imports?

Citizens Speak
Letters-to-the-Editor and Editorial Opinions from the Regional and National Press
and individuals' letters to the Stop I-3 Coalition