I-16 Ramp Removal Study

The I-16 Ramp Removal Study is a pivotal initiative currently underway in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Montgomery Street Corridor. The project is managed by the Metropolitan Planning Commission in coordination with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. SDRA serves as a partner in the study along with Chatham County, the City of Savannah, and CORE MPO.

The project builds upon the studies conducted by SDRA in 1998, 2002, 2004, and 2009. For many years, the I-16 flyover ramp, culminating on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Montgomery St., has been regarded as a physical and socioeconomic obstruction, hindering pedestrian safety and mobility, corridor revitalization, and community cohesion. The study has identified numerous benefits to removing the ramp, including reclaiming eight acres of developable land; reinventing Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard as a major economic, mixed-use corridor; and improving connectivity and traffic flow with a new street grid.

The process to remove the I-16 ramps spans multiple years, and entails the completion of planning and development, documentation, engineering, design, and construction phases. Currently, the project team is working to complete an Interchange Modification Report, which requires approval from the Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia DOT in order to remove the ramps.

For more information on the I-16 Ramp Removal Study, please visit the Reclaiming Old West Broad website.