Why not just upgrade the existing US 31 route to interstate standards?
As documented in the Preliminary Alternatives Analysis and Screening Report, upgrading the existing US 31 facility would result in far more relocations when compared to the new alignment alternatives. This alternative would displace almost 100 more residences and businesses than any of the new alignment alternatives and have a disproportionate impact on commercial businesses. The number of displacements, the limited access to remaining businesses, and the loss of retail tax revenue were the major considerations in the evaluation of this alternative. Other factors included: residential relocations, the number of hazardous waste sites impacted, the need for new access roads, the disruption and displacement of grave sites, the disruption to existing business access, and the significantly higher cost of land acquisition.
