Letter from the chair of Elkinsville Ecological Society.
Many of you have heard about the proposes northward expansion of the interstate which currently ends just south of Elkinsville. In the recent debate over how this work will go forward, the focus has been on weighing economic costs and benefits. Indeed, many local politicians claim to favor the project because it will bring in the short term and more visitors to Elkinsville in the long run. These politicians also argue that the proposed plan is the least environmentally damaging way to expand the highway farther upstate. This cannot be true, however, since the proposed expansion involves not just the widening of existing roads, but also the construction of more than a dozen miles of new-terrain highway.