In naming a highway after an green business pioneer, the state of Georgia took an initial step in what has become a growing effort to implement a new focus on the environment in the state's transportation system.
Andria Simmons begins a recent article with a seemingly simple question: "Is it possible to turn a highway from something that pollutes noise, air and water into an environmental scrubber that pays for its own upkeep?" That's the difficult question tackled by transportation officials in West Georgia, in overhauling a 16-mile stretch of I-85 between LaGrange and West Point.
The I-85 in this part of the state was named for the late Ray C. Anderson, famous for using his carpet company Interface as a vehicle to pioneer green business practices. Since the naming, projects to beautify the stretch of highway have grown more ambitious. "The mission now is to transform the highway into a model of green technology and innovation," according to Simmons. "Capitalizing upon government, corporate and philanthropic backing, a slate of projects are in development." Georgia Tech has also assisted in creating a baseline study introducing some of the potential for the highway to become an innovation test bed.
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