Augusta, GA

Georgia Transportation Officials Say Interstate Between Columbus And Augusta Isn’t A Good Deal

Published

2 years ago

January 27, 2024

Georgia Transportation Officials Say Interstate Between Columbus And Augusta Isn’t A Good Deal

Georgia motorists looking for a faster way to get across the state between Columbus and Augusta will have to wait a long time – if ever – for a solution.

A newly released study of options for moving freight through Georgia by the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has concluded that a plan to build the Peach State’s first interstate highway since the 1960s would not be a good return on investment.

Traffic projections show the proposed Interstate 14 likely would carry only an average of 3,000 trucks per day, well below the average daily flow of 11,000 to 18,000 trucks on Georgia’s existing interstates.

“I-14 demonstrated moderate benefits, including reduced congestion costs … and a decrease in vehicle hours of delay,” according to the report. “However, it is not projected to yield the same degree of positive impacts as other interstate highway projects such as I-75, I-20, I-95, and segments of I-16, especially considering the project’s initial cost estimate of more than $5 billion.”

Interstate 14 has its share of backers. The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress passed in 2021 includes a provision designating the highway as a “high-priority corridor” that would run through five states from Texas through Georgia, connecting many of the Deep South’s military bases and ports.

On the state level, Georgia’s General Assembly passed a resolution back in 2019 supporting construction of the Georgia portion of I-14, picking up at the Alabama line at Columbus and extending to the South Carolina line in Augusta.

“It would be highly convenient for us in that part of the state,” said state Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus, who sponsored the resolution. “When you come into Columbus from the west, you have to go almost to Atlanta to get to Augusta.”

But building interstate highways isn’t what it used to be. Funding for the original interstate construction program then-President Dwight Eisenhower launched during the 1950s ran out more than two decades ago, said Don Rodman, administrator of the Texas-based Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition, which has worked for years to secure funding for the western portion of the I-14 corridor.

“These days, interstates cost about $30 million a mile,” Rodman said. “For I-14 in Texas, that’s about $30 billion. Nobody has that kind of money.”

Plagued by such high cost estimates, only about 25 miles of I-14 have been built in Texas. But even that’s more than has been constructed in any of the other four states along the route.

Rodman said he envisions I-14 as a multi-generational project.

“We’re probably talking about 100 projects along the I-14 route,” he said. “You build them incrementally. … The cheaper ones and the priority ones are the ones you build first.”

Harbison said he is concerned about the findings in the Georgia DOT study. He said the ability to connect military bases across the five states – from Fort Bliss in Texas to Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) near Columbus and Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon) near Augusta would be particularly beneficial.

“I believe it has value … and will have a more positive impact than they’re projecting,” Harbison said.

The good news for Harbison and other I-14 backers is that the DOT isn’t giving up on the project completely.

“Because the I-14 project shows some benefit under the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), a corridor study to further evaluate its feasibility would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the construction practicalities … as well as more specific project costs,” the report stated.

“I don’t understand why it would not be feasible,” Harbison said. “Given the benefit, I would encourage us to take another look at it.”

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Augusta, GA

Car enthusiasts meet to talk rides and drink coffee

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Car enthusiasts meet to talk rides and drink coffee

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Car enthusiasts met Saturday morning at the Augusta Richmond County Judicial Building to show off their cars and meet others.

It was also an opportunity for these people to network with others.

One of the group leaders spoke about the event.

“So we like to be a community-oriented club. We give back to charities with the money that we make off the car shows. So we just like to come hang out and just look at other cars, and talk to other car enthusiasts,” said Mike Anchor, CSRA Mustang and Ford Club.

There are get-togethers like this every month.

They’re normally the first Saturday of the month and start at 9 a.m.

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Augusta, GA

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta Fire Department responded to a structure fire early Saturday morning in the 3600 block of Peach Orchard Road.

Fire truck shortage forces local departments to wait years for equipment

Emergency crews blocked multiple lanes as they battled the fire, according to a Facebook post from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

News 12 has reached out to the Augusta Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire and to inquire about any reported injuries.

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Augusta, GA

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Juvenile Court received a grant of more than $1 million to prevent youth from joining gangs by addressing underlying factors that lead to criminal behavior.

The grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will allow the court to expand services beyond its current programs and serve a broader population of at-risk youth.

“This allows us to build on the work we are currently doing. It also allows us to serve a different population of youth that we have not been able to serve on such an extended level, so we have additional funds that will serve even more kids and to hopefully assist the sheriff and district attorney in not having youthful offenders become adult offenders that they have to obtain and prosecute,” said Chief Judge Tianna Bias.

Addressing root causes

The funding will target factors that make youth vulnerable to gang recruitment, including poor school attendance and reading difficulties.

“Whether it’s that they have poor school attendance, not reading on grade level. One thing we’ve seen is that when you are not reading on grade level that has an impact on many other areas of your life. It’s really just an opportunity to offer wrap-around support for these kids so we can prevent them from getting into unfortunate situations that they may not end up in front of a juvenile court judge later,” Bias said.

Dr. Audrey Armistad, chief intake officer for the juvenile court, said the court’s goal is rehabilitation rather than detention.

“We put them in programs and services that help them to be able to develop mentally, socially and physically when it comes to kids involved with the juvenile court,” Armistad said.

Expanding services

The juvenile court currently serves at-risk youth through the THRIVE program. The court is also expanding services with a new computer lab set to open next month.

“It helps us to be able to provide instruction to kids getting GEDs, parents wanting GEDs, as well as we provide learning loss instruction to kids enrolled in Richmond County who may need remediation in math and reading,” Armistad said.

A gang prevention expert will meet with the juvenile court team to provide recommendations on how the grant money should be spent.

Bias said success will be measured by fewer teens in courtrooms and more in classrooms.

“We are meant to rehabilitate not to punish and we want to help these parents get kids on track so we can see a better Augusta for everyone,” Bias said.

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