The Annual Meeting of the Five-State El Camino East/West Corridor Commission is  Set for July  13-15, 2005 in Vidalia, Louisiana.

Organizers and supporters of the effort to four lane U. S. Highway 84, the El Camino East/West Corridor, will gather in Vidalia, Louisiana on July 13 - 15 to discuss their progress with this project. The meeting will be chaired by Dr. Leland Scoggins, President of the Five State El Camino Commission.

U. S. Highway 84, The El Camino East/West Corridor, is a 1,729 mile corridor which stretches from Brunswick, Georgia to El Paso, Texas, traversing the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. El Camino, or “The Kings Highway” actually goes into Mexico. “It is the route our forefathers traveled to settle this country,” according to Dr. Scoggins, who has been involved with the project since its inception in 1989. In all, this scenic route passes through the heartland of the Old South, crossing some 48 counties in the southern United States, as well as six Louisiana parishes, impacting directly 1.5 million residents of these areas. 

The annual meeting will include a board of directors meeting, reports from representatives of the five states, and guest speakers to include Chuck Morris, Administrator, Scenic By-way Program for Louisiana, and commentary from the Louisiana Congressional Delegation.

PROJECT STATUS

The Five-State El Camino East/West Corridor project is moving forward but not fast enough for people who are using it regularly or industrial leaders who would like to construct industrial sites along the 1729-mile highway right-of-way. Approximately sixty-four percent or 1,106 miles have been four-laned or funded to be four-laned.

The State of Mississippi is the leader in getting the mileage along U.S. Hwy 84 four-laned. Georgia and Texas are following in second and third place. Alabama is in fourth place and Louisiana falls in fifth place. Great efforts by Civic leaders, local and state political leaders and industrial leaders are being made at the Federal level to get the El Camino Corridor designated in the new Federal Highway Administration bill for funding. All of these leaders have recognized and agreed that this four-lane highway is the key to economic development and highway safety in all five states – Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas – and it is also the key to better maintenance on Interstate 20 to its North and Interstate 10 to its South

Transportation has always been the key to the economic viability of a community. This nation has seen significant transportation impact shifts over the decades from river transportation to rail transportation to highway transportation.

Any community (say St. Louis) which finds itself blessed with all three must consider itself lucky. But any community with none has little reason to expect much future economic growth.

Over the same time, the nation has also experienced shifts in the economic base from agriculture to manufacturing to service industries. Tourism, a major growth industry, is already the top-dollar industry in several states and is touted to hold more future economic potential in the Sun Belt than any other single industry.

For these reasons, business leaders along this East/West Corridor area have watched changing traffic patterns with increasing concern. U.S. Highway 84, once a dominant two-lane traffic conduit, has been relegated to a secondary route by construction of the Interstate system (I-10 and I-20). With better alternatives available, two-lane highway, access is no longer good enough for new industry. Nor is it conductive to tourism.

Early efforts with a goal to four-lane this corridor for the economic benefit it could bring were begun more than a dozen years ago. But those floundered. Then in December 1991, a group of business and government leaders from this three-state area met in Natchitoches to resume that effort. This was the beginning of the Miss-La-Tex East/West Corridor Commission.


THE GOAL:

It is clear that unless we can open the traffic arteries, which can bring the lifeblood of industry and tourism to our region, we are doomed to watch the continued drain of jobs, business and youth from our communities.

This group of business leaders has concluded that the answer to the problem lies with the expansion to four-lanes of the old settlers’ route, El Camino Real, stretching from the coast at Brunswick, Georgia, westward to El Paso, Texas. Much of that would follow U.S. Highway 84. While the present movement grew out of Louisiana and encompassed Mississippi and Texas from the outset, total success of the plan will ultimately require this to be a continuous, multi-state artery.

 

Website © 2001 by El Camino East/West Commission, P.O. Box 36688, NSU, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497.  This site is best viewed in 800x600 pixel resolution.  Please address questions or comments on this site to the Webmaster.  Site produced by Bill Cameron Consulting.