Interstate 14

US 190 near Copperas Cove
Major intersections	SH 201 at Fort Cavazos SH 195 at Killeen Loop 121 at Killeen SH 317 at Belton
East end	US 190 at Belton
Location
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Coryell, Bell
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec
← PR 13 → SH 14

Interstate 14 (I-14

The proposal for the "14th Amendment Highway" has its origins in the 2005 transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The route was initially planned to have a western terminus at Natchez, Mississippi (later from I-49 near Alexandria, Louisiana), extending east through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, before ending at Augusta, Georgia, or North Augusta, South Carolina. Advocates of the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway subsequently proposed extending I-14 to I-10 near Fort Stockton and the junction of US 277 and I-10 near Sonora, Texas. The study and planning of I-14 has continued because of support and interest from both Congress and the associated state highway departments. The I-14 corridor, if ultimately constructed, would provide a national strategic link to numerous major military bases and major Gulf and Atlantic coasts ports used for overseas deployments in six states from Texas to South Carolina.

On November 15, 2021, President

The highway was proposed in 2005 as the "14th Amendment Highway" without an official Interstate Highway designation, with a western terminus at Natchez, Mississippi, extending east through the states of Mississippi and Alabama, before ending at Augusta, Georgia. The highway was named in honor of the Fourteenth Amendment, as the route would traverse the southern "Black Belt" region that formed the heart of the slave-based plantation economy of the 19th century.

US Representative

The 14th Amendment Highway and the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway concepts continued through active studies to the present as local and state interest began to surface and support in Congress, the FHWA, and, most importantly, in the associated state highway departments, all the key ingredients necessary to successfully justify funding any proposed federal-aid highway project. The FHWA issued its report on the 14th Amendment Highway to Congress in 2011 and made recommendation for further environmental and feasibility substudies; however, little action to fund these studies advanced in Congress after 2011. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) also conducted the US 190/IH-10 Feasibility Study in 2011, which concluded that it was justified to upgrade US 190 to a divided four-lane arterial highway based on traffic projections to 2040, but that upgrading US 190 to a full freeway through Texas was only justified if the 14th Amendment Highway is actually constructed from Louisiana to Georgia.

The I-14 concept became a reality when

TxDOT moved forward with designating I-14 along US 190 from Copperas Cove to I-35 in Belton.^[8] The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) originally denied approval of TxDOT's request for the number at their May 24, 2016, meeting of the Special Committee on US Route Numbering, the body responsible for approving designations in the US Numbered and Interstate highway systems.^[9] The FHWA and AASHTO subsequently approved the I-14 designation.^[10] The Texas Transportation Commission made the I-14 number official on January 26, 2017.^[11] The official signage ceremony was held April 22, 2017, in Killeen, Texas, on the Central Texas College campus. More I-14 signs went up over the next few weeks.^[12]

On April 11, 2019, US Representative Babin introduced the I-14 'Forts-to-Ports' bill—which could extend I-14 to

Prior to being designated as I-14, US 190 was expanded from four to six lanes in Killeen, Texas, during a widening project that lasted from 2013 to late 2016. The project was estimated to be completed in 2014 but was delayed by other road expansion projects.^[21] Plans to widen the existing route through Harker Heights to the I-35 intersection in Belton from four lanes to six lanes began in April 2018^[22][23] and was completed in June 2023.^[24] A $140,000 project to put up two new welcome signs in Nolanville was started in May 2023.^[25][26]

Proposed extension

The IIJA designates an extended future I-14 corridor that would encompass the original "14th Amendment Highway" and "Gulf Coast Strategic Highway" concepts, including the following designated High Priority Corridors:^[27][28][29]

• High Priority Corridor 84, the Central Texas Corridor, including:^[30]
  • 84(A): Commencing near
    US 190 near Brady
    . This northern fork has been designated "I-14 North" (I-14N).
  • 84(B): Commencing at the intersection of I-10 and US 190 in Pecos County, following US 190 to Brady. This southern fork has been designated "I-14 South" (I-14S).
  • 84(C): Following portions of US 190 eastward, passing near the central Texas cities of
    Bryan–College Station
    designated "I-214". This is currently the only part of the high-priority corridors to include a completed section of I-14.
  • 84(D): A new interstate (route number to be determined) following US 83 southward from the vicinity of Eden to I-10 at Junction.
  • 84(E): A new interstate (route number to be determined) following US 69 from I-10 in Beaumont north to US 190 near Woodville.
  • 84(F): A new interstate (route number to be determined) following US 96 from I-10 in Beaumont north to US 190 near Jasper.
  • 84(G): A new interstate (route number to be determined) following US 190,
    Farm to Market Road 305 (FM 305), and US 385
    from I-10 in Pecos County to I-20 at Odessa.
• High Priority Corridor 99, the Central Louisiana Corridor, commencing at the Sabine River bridge where SH 63 becomes LA 8 before following portions of LA 8 to
  US 425 at the Natchez–Vidalia Bridge at Vidalia
  .
• High Priority Corridor 100, the Central Mississippi Corridor, including:
  • 100(A): Commencing at the Natchez–Vidalia Bridge at the Mississippi River and then generally following portions of
    US 84 passing in the vicinity of Natchez, Brookhaven, Monticello, Prentiss, and Collins, to I-59 near Laurel, and continuing on I-59 north to I-20
    before joining I-59 and I-20 to the Alabama state line.
  • 100(B): Commencing near Laurel, running south on I-59 to
    US 49 south then following US 49 south to I-10 in the vicinity of Gulfport and following Mississippi Highway 601 (MS 601)/I-310
    south until the Mississippi State Port at Gulfport. The corridor overlaps parts of High Priority Corridors 93 (the South Mississippi Corridor) and 94 (the Kosciusko to Gulf Coast corridor).
• High Priority Corridor 101, the Middle Alabama Corridor, including:[31]
  • 101(A): Beginning at the Alabama–Mississippi border generally following portions of I-20/I-59 until following a new Interstate extension paralleling US 80.
  • 101(B): Crossing
    US 43 and SR 69 near Demopolis, traveling eastward closely paralleling US 80 to the south before crossing SR 22, SR 41, and SR 21, until its intersection with I-65 near Hope Hull
    .
  • 101(C): Continuing east along the proposed
    Montgomery Outer Loop (I-85) south of Montgomery
    , where it would next join with I-85 east of Montgomery.
  • 101(D): Continuing along I-85 east bound until its intersection with
    US 280 near Opelika or US 80 near Tuskegee
    .
  • 101(E): Generally following the most expedient route until intersecting with existing US 80 (
    J. R. Allen Parkway) through Phenix City until continuing into Columbus, Georgia
    .
• High Priority Corridor 102, the Middle Georgia Corridor, including:
  • 102(A): Beginning at the Alabama–Georgia state line generally following the Fall Line Freeway from Columbus to Augusta.
  • 102(B): Traveling along
    SR 49C (Fort Valley Bypass) to SR 49 (Peach Parkway) to its intersection with I-75 in Byron
    .
  • 102(C): Continuing north along I-75 through Warner Robins and Macon, where it would meet I-16, then following I-16 east it would next join US 80 and SR 57 east of Macon.
  • 102(D): Commencing with SR 57 which turns into SR 24 near Milledgeville would then bypass Wrens with a newly constructed bypass before joining US 1 near Fort Eisenhower into Augusta, where I-14 will terminate at an interchange of I-20 and I-520.

Current progress

Texas

TxDOT is currently in the planning stages of construction on the rest of the route in the state

Construction on an extension of I-14 to Temple is expected to begin in 2027^[35][36] while a bypass is currently being built around Rogers.^[37] A non-Interstate standard bypass was also built around Heidenheimer in the late 2000s. In July 2023, the Parsons Corporation (PSN) announced that it had been selected by TXDOT's Waco District to design the I-14 extension to Rogers as well as improve I-14/US 190/I-35 system interchange.^[38][39]

On October 10, 2023, the Bryan division of TXDOT announced that they were launching a study for the I-14 corridor, which will generally follow US 190, from Rogers in Bell County eastward to Huntsville in Walker County. The study will also include the planned I-214 loop in the Bryan-College Station area. Several open houses for public input were announced as well.^{[40][41][42][43][44][45]} Public feedback was also requested by the Brazos County commissioner in November 2023.^[46]

Currently, TxDOT and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) are working to replace the two-lane Burr's Ferry Bridge, which marks the eastern and western termini of Texas State Highway 63 (SH 63) and Louisiana Highway 8 (LA 8) respectively, over the Sabine River at the Texas-Louisiana state line. The new bridge will be built to interstate-highway standards about a quarter mile to the south of the existing bridge. The construction of the replacement bridge is expected to start in 2024.^[47]

Louisiana

LaDOTD has included I-14 in the state’s transportation plan, with the project as a whole estimated to cost $7 billion. The interstate has been seen as a way to spur growth in the currently declining populations across central Louisiana by providing a major east-west highway through the region. However, the project is unfunded and LaDOTD has made maintaining existing infrastructure a top priority for the time being as they also have a backlog of projects worth more than $18 billion.^[47][48]

Georgia

In May 2023, the Columbus city council announced that they had begun the process of collecting data and looking into the project that would bring I-14 through the city.^[49]

In January 2024, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) concluded a study that deemed that the I-14 project would not have a good return on investment. The report indicated that truck traffic on the route would be significantly less than on other interstates in the state, making it less beneficial since the initial cost estimate for building the freeway is around $5 billion. However, the study was only referring to moving freight through the state and it did not completely rule out building I-14 since some benefits were found. GDOT plans to run corridor studies for the project to further evaluate its feasibility and cost.^[50][51]

Exit list

Exit numbers follow US 190's mile markers.

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
US 190 west – Lampasas	Continuation beyond western terminus
	—	Bus. US 190 west – Copperas Cove	Temporary western terminus
	Fort Cavazos	0.4	0.64	277	Clarke Road
Coryell–Bell county line		1.8	2.9	278	Bell Tower Drive
		2.3	3.7	280A	SH 201 south (Clear Creek Road)
Bell		3.1	5.0	280B	Clear Creek Road north	Westbound access via exit 280A
	Bus. US 190 east / T.J. Mills Boulevard
		4.8	7.7	282	Willow Springs Road
		5.3	8.5	283	SH 195 (Fort Hood Street)
		7.2	11.6	284	Trimmier Road
		7.8	12.6	285	W.S. Young Drive
		8.8	14.2	286	FM 3470 (Stan Schlueter Loop)	No direct westbound exit (Signed at exit 287)
		10.1	16.3	287	Rosewood Drive
	FM 2410 (Knight's Way)
		12.0	19.3	289	FM 3423 (Indian Trail)
		13.3	21.4	290	Bus. US 190 west / Nola Ruth Boulevard	No westbound entrance
	FM Spur 439 (Main Street) – Nolanville
		16.6	26.7	293	Paddy Hamilton Road
	​	18.4	29.6	295	Frontage Road	No eastbound entrance
	​	19.1	30.7	296	FM 2410 (Simmons Road)
	​	20.2	32.5	297	George Wilson Road
	FM 1670 (Stillhouse Hollow Dam Road)
		23.1	37.2	300	Loop 121
		23.9	38.5	301	FM 436 (Holland Road) / Connell Street	Eastbound exit and entrance; I-35 exit 293B northbound
		24.8	39.9		US 190 east)	Eastern terminus; eastern end of US 190 concurrency; I-35 exit 293A
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Auxiliary route

I-14 in Texas is proposed to have one

•  Texas portal
•  U.S. roads portal
• Fall Line Freeway, a highway proposed to be the Georgia portion of I-14

Notes

References

 This article incorporates

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 14.

• 2005 SAFETEA-LU legislation, from the Library of Congress Archived January 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
• Interstate 14 @ InterstateGuide.Com