Impacts of Interstate Road Construction in Mountain Terrain

Rockslides! March 18, 2010: Little River Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( March 29, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/ August 22, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/ Mountains are geologically unstable – removal of vegetation and cutting through folded/faulted rocks increases weathering and destabilizes roadbeds!

Rockslides! October 2009: Blue Ridge Parkway, Buncombe/Haywood Counties, NC (between Asheville and Mt. Pisgah) ( October 25, 2009: Interstate 40, Haywood County, NC ( cleanup-may-take-3-months/) cleanup-may-take-3-months/ November 10, 2009: U.S. Highway 64, Ocoee Gorge, Polk County, TN (2 slides) ( January 19, 2010: U.S. Highway 64, Ocoee Gorge, Polk County, TN (section already closed) ( January 23, 2010: Interstate 40, Haywood County, NC (section already closed) ( January 25, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, near Pigeon Forge, TN ( times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID= ) times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID= February 5, 2010: Rich Cove Road, Maggie Valley, NC ( times.com/article/ /NEWS01/ /Rain-threatens-Maggie-Valley-mudslide-area-evacuees- could-be-away-for-weeks) times.com/article/ /NEWS01/ /Rain-threatens-Maggie-Valley-mudslide-area-evacuees- could-be-away-for-weeks February 2010: Waterdance development, Jackson County, NC ( February 2010: N.C. Highway 281, near Little Canada, Jackson County, NC (one lane) ( March 14, 2010: “Tail of the Dragon” (U.S. 129/State Route 115), Blount County, TN ( March 15, 2010: Winters Road, Carter County, TN (no closure) ( Mid-March 2010, US Hwy 76 east of Young Harris, lane closure for 1 day; barriers installed to prevent further debris on road, clean up sporadic and incomplete due to lack of available GDOT maintenance crew personnel. March 17, 2010: Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway (Ga. Highway 348), White and Union Counties, GA (weather and location-related; no rockslide) ( March 17, 2010: Grandfather Mountain Road, Grandfather Mountain, NC ( March 18, 2010: Little River Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( March 29, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/ August 22, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/

Rockslides! February 2010: Waterdance development, Jackson County, NC ( February 2010: N.C. Highway 281, near Little Canada, Jackson County, NC (one lane) ( March 14, 2010: “Tail of the Dragon” (U.S. 129/State Route 115), Blount County, TN ( March 15, 2010: Winters Road, Carter County, TN (no closure) ( Mid-March 2010, US Hwy 76 east of Young Harris, lane closure for 1 day; barriers installed to prevent further debris on road, clean up sporadic and incomplete due to lack of available GDOT maintenance crew personnel. March 17, 2010: Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway (Ga. Highway 348), White and Union Counties, GA (weather and location-related; no rockslide) ( March 17, 2010: Grandfather Mountain Road, Grandfather Mountain, NC ( March 18, 2010: Little River Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( March 29, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/ August 22, 2010: U.S. Highway 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( times.com/article/ ) times.com/article/

I-3 Would Hurt Tourism

The Interstate Would Hurt Second Home Development

I-3 would Result in Loss of Farm Land

Critical Watersheds Originating in the Southern Appalachians would be Threatened

Keeping Water Clean Near an Interstate is next to Impossible

Development that Accompanies Highways also Ruins Water Quality

Highway development threatens native and endangered species

Interstates Interrupt Feeding and Migration Routes

Priceless Scenery would be Destroyed

Interstates Ruin Mountain Vistas

I-3 Would Cost Billions! Range of costs: – $3.4 million/mile w/o ROW purchase and in flat land – $8 million/mile w/o ROW for US441 GA – $20 million/mile general mountainous terrain Eg Madison County, NC I-26 project Several billion dollars to build I-3 – Plus, road building prices are constantly rising

Link to “Corridor K”

Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) Congress authorized the construction of the AHDS in the Appalachian Development Act of 1965 The ADHS was designed to generate economic development in previously isolated areas, supplement the interstate system, connect Appalachia to the interstate system, and provide access to areas within the Region as well as to markets in the rest of the nation

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) the President's Appalachian Regional Commission (PARC) reported to Congress that economic growth in Appalachia would not be possible until the Region's isolation had been overcome. PARC report and the Appalachian governors placed top priority on a modern highway system as the key to economic development

CORRIDOR K RATIONALE Economic Development Relieve Traffic Congestion and reduce travel times Safety Links to global markets via eastern seaports – Wilmington, NC; Norfolk, VA; Charleston, SC

Corridor K in the News – US-64 Ocoee Gorge 2003 TDOT prepares draft EIS – $2.3 billion and dramatic environmental impacts – Public and USFS opposition stalled project 2007 – Funded through ARC, Wilbur Smith & Assoc. develops and published economic study of Corridor K to justify construction 2008 – TDOT lets contract to conduct new EIS on Corridor K through mountains – Rockslides have galvanized local communities in support of construction Economic impact study May 2010 on rockslides – Despite that rockslides are due to lack of maintenance by TDOT and lack of funding for maintenance by ARC – Despite that new rockslides will occur on new roads

Corridor K in the News – US-74 Andrews to Stecoah 2008 NCDOT prepares draft EIS – Segmenting of route allows more difficult portions to be ignored for now (Andrews – Robbinsville) – Lack of detail on geological challenges (tunnels) – Lack of consideration of water quality impacts 2009 Public meetings on DEIS – Negative response from public 2010 US Army Corp of Engineers found significant impacts to water quality and directed NCDOT to reconsider route and plans

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT