Middle Georgia CEO: Columbus native, UGA student leads way on Interstate 14 proposal

There is still a lot of work to do on the ground with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) but over the next few years, a new interstate might be coming together in central Georgia. As it stands now, to drive west from Macon, (depending on how far you plan on traveling) your best bet is to drive north to Atlanta and then head west on Interstate 20. Thanks to the efforts from a Columbus native and UGA student, Interstate 14 will change that.  

Frank Lumpkin was a teenager in the Youth Leadership Columbus program when Teresa Tomlinson was mayor. Asked by Tomlinson what was holding Columbus back, Lumpkin said “lack of connectivity.” Tomlinson agreed and told him to keep at it. Lumpkin began researching ways to better connect the community. Some searching landed him on a proposal for I-14. Lumpkin was skeptical he could make much impact on a project the level of an interstate but a mentor encouraged him and he began looking into what he could do.  

Lumpkin helped to found the Youth Infrastructure Coalition and began raising awareness of the project and discussing the issue with lawmakers on the local and state level. They put together a video called My14 and worked with the Georgia General Assembly to pass a bill asking Congress to designate the route and for GDOT to prioritize the project.

Read the full article here.

Columbus native, UGA student leads way on Interstate 14 proposal

There is still a lot of work to do on the ground with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) but over the next few years, a new interstate might be coming together in central Georgia. As it stands now, to drive west from Macon, (depending on how far you plan on traveling) your best bet is to drive north to Atlanta and then head west on Interstate 20. Thanks to the efforts from a Columbus native and UGA student, Interstate 14 will change that.  

Frank Lumpkin was a teenager in the Youth Leadership Columbus program when Teresa Tomlinson was mayor. Asked by Tomlinson what was holding Columbus back, Lumpkin said “lack of connectivity.” Tomlinson agreed and told him to keep at it. Lumpkin began researching ways to better connect the community. Some searching landed him on a proposal for I-14. Lumpkin was skeptical he could make much impact on a project the level of an interstate but a mentor encouraged him and he began looking into what he could do.  

Lumpkin helped to found the Youth Infrastructure Coalition and began raising awareness of the project and discussing the issue with lawmakers on the local and state level. They put together a video called My14 and worked with the Georgia General Assembly to pass a bill asking Congress to designate the route and for GDOT to prioritize the project.

Read the full article here.

Ivey on West Alabama Highway: “I’m the governor of all the people”

“That area is so important to our state and does not have four-lane access to the interstate,” Ivey said.

Chris Elliot, R-Josephine, has stalled funding on widening portions of the West Alabama corridor from Tuscaloosa to Mobile, expressing concerns about reckless spending.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth has accused John Cooper, director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, of threatening people who want to widen I-65.

But Gov. Kay Ivey told media Tuesday that she supports the West Alabama corridor project, saying “the bottom line is, I’m the governor of all the people.”

“Including those in the Black Belt and in West Alabama,” Ivey added. “That area is so important to our state and does not have four-lane access to the interstate. It’s the right thing to do and we’re gonna press on..”

Read the full article here.

Graduate Fellowship Awarded To Study The Impacts Of Future Interstate 14 Corridor Near Selma

On April 11, 2022, The Council on Community-Based Partnerships at the University of Alabama awarded funding for a Community Engagement Graduate Fellowship to Dr. Kevin Curtin, Professor of Geography and Director of the Laboratory for Location Science at the University of Alabama.  Jack Spalding, an incoming master’s student in the Department of Geography at the University of Alabama will be the recipient of the fellowship during his first year of studies. 

Read full article here.

Congress designates Interstate 14 across five states with I-14 corridor through San Angelo

Congressional designation of the Interstate 14 Corridor across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia became a reality Monday with the presidential signing of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure bill, according to a news release by the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition.

The newly designated I-14 route runs from Midland-Odessa across Central Texas then to Alexandria, Louisiana, Laurel, Mississippi, Montgomery, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia before terminating at Augusta, Georgia.

I-14 will be built primarily by incrementally upgrading existing highways in each of the states.

Read the article here.

U.S. Sens. Warnock and Cruz are getting all the glory, but a 23-year-old Columbus law student may be the man behind I-14

U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Ted Cruz are getting all the glory, but the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports a 23-year-old Columbus law student may actually be the man behind the budding success of the proposed I-14 Interstate, which would connect Albany, Ga. to West Texas through Alabama, via Columbus.

The paper writes that Frank Lumpkin, IV, got the ball rolling on the long dormant idea when he was a 19-year-old college student and mentioned it to then-Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson.

He later worked to advance the measure in his spare time as an intern to U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson.

More from the paper:

Lumpkin already made contact with Sens. Warnock and Jon Ossoff shortly after their victories in early 2021 to talk about the project. As the infrastructure debate continued, Lumpkin and others began to hear that the House's bill wouldn't be the final version. Getting in the Senate bill became key.

“This isn't something we tried to throw in here at the last minute. This is something that we have bipartisan support on that we could get in the bill," Lumpkin said.

Warnock, along with Sen. Cruz (R-TX), proposed the I-14 amendment. It was approved by a voice vote with no objections.