A new interstate designed to serve nearly 33 million people

 

(The entire state of Florida has 23.3 million, metropolitan Dallas, TX has 8.3 million, metropolitan Jackson, MS has 500k and metropolitan Shreveport, LA has 400k even if you exclude Mobile, AL which is bypassed)

Toggle the map to select or deselect alignments between the three proposed alternatives

I-18 Would:

 

1.  Reduce the travel time between the Dallas, TX metropolitan area (8.3 million) and the Miami, FL (6.4 million), Tampa, FL (3.4 million), Orlando, FL (2.9 million), and Jacksonville, FL (1.7 million) metropolitan areas (and vice-versa).

2.  For two of the routes, provides a bypass for both Mobile and Pensacola on I-10

3.  Better connect Hattiesburg, MS and Laurel, MS to Jackson, MS (and points beyond) and Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL (and points beyond)

4.  Provide significant much-needed toll revenue from truckers for Alabama and Mississippi, who are among the states most suffering from poverty (along with Louisiana, Arkansas, and West Virginia)

Selected Alternatives

 

A:  243 miles, 3 hours 15 minutes (with 75 mph design speed limit).  Total from exit 47 (US 49) Jackson, MS to exit 56 (FL 56) Crestview, FL is 255 miles and 3 hours 25 minutes including I-10 (8 miles, with a 70 speed limit) and I-20 (3 miles, with a 65 mph speed limit)

B:  230 miles, 3 hours 5 minutes (with 75 mph design speed limit). Total from exit 47 (US 49) Jackson, MS to exit 56 (FL 56) Crestview, FL is 261 miles and 3 hours 31 minutes including I-10 (27 miles, with a 70 mph speed limit) and I-20 (3 miles, with a 65 mph speed limit)

C:  202 miles, 2 hours 42 minutes (with 75 mph design speed limit). Total from exit 47 (US 49) Jackson, MS to exit 56 (FL 56) Crestview, FL is 279 miles and 3 hours 50 minutes including I-10 (74 miles, 58 miles with a 70 mph speed limit, 10 miles with a 65 mph speed limit, and 6 miles with a 55 mph speed limit) and I-20 (3 miles, with a 65 mph speed limit)

The current fastest route between these points (which is the fastest route between Dallas, TX and the metropolitan areas of Miami, FL, Tampa, FL, Orlando, FL, and Jacksonville, FL and vice-versa) is 281 miles and is 4 hours 18 minutes driving the speed limit.  And that's not getting caught in traffic signals!  The route through Baton Rouge is approximately 10 - 15 minutes longer, despite a higher speed limit (70 mph most of the way, and even 75 mph between Shreveport and Alexandria and vice-versa), due to the longer distance.  These respective routes save off the current fastest route:

Alternative A:  31 miles, 53 minutes driving time

Alternative B:  25 miles, 47 minutes driving time

Alternative C:  2 miles, 28 minutes driving time

Advantages and Disadvantages

 

Alternative A

Advantages:  Would offer the greatest overall distance and time savings from Dallas to / from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville

Disadvantages:  Longest route, traverses the Blackwater River State Forest in Florida which may cause controversy among locals and environmentalists

Alternative B

Advantages:  Very close second best route as far as greatest overall distance and time savings from Dallas to / from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville; viable route for serving the eastern suburbs of Pensacola

Disadvantages:  Probably would require the demolition or relocation of the most homes and businesses of the three routes

Alternative C

Advantages:  Shortest and cheapest of the three routes

Disadvantages:  Offers the least distance and time savings from Dallas to / from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville by a large margin and therefore would be the least beneficial most likely (well, other than the no-build alternative of course)