The expansion of I-14 isn't just good news for the local cities and economies, it is also great news for the U.S military and Fort Hood.
The United States military is known for its efficiency but with the expansion of I-14, a whole new level of that efficiency can be reached.
The interstate highway system was developed by President Eisenhower to improve our military capabilities after what he saw serving overseas.
"It was based on what he saw with the German AutoBond system in WWII and how efficient it was at moving military forces and keeping them supported between locations and that is how we got the great interstates system that the U.S. has,” said Keith Sledd, executive director of Heart of Texas Defense Alliance.
Further construction of I-14 will open up doors and pathways that will keep that original vision alive.
"The expanded interstate stretching from West Texas all the way to the east coast, is along the corridor of several military installations, including Fort Hood,” said Col. Myles Caggins III, Fort Hood Spokesperson.
Having that connection means that logistics and travel for the military and Fort Hood are going to improve drastically.
But that’s not all, it will also improve overseas mission readiness.
"You can put entire combat brigades on a couple of ships and move them there," said Sledd. "To get them on those ships, you got to have road networks to get them to those ports."
Road networks like I –14, provide a much faster and more efficient way for Fort Hood units to do the job they all signed up to do.
"This will increase the ability for Fort Hood units to deploy from multiple locations," said Col. Caggins. "It will make logistics more efficient and cost-effective for our entire defense department.”
Misson readiness and logistics will improve but, it’s not just the soldiers Fort Hood said the expansion will benefit.
"We think it will provide a benefit to the families of the soldiers that serve at Fort Hood because you can get around a little bit easier when traveling east to west,” said Col. Caggins.
The interstate highway system was created with the idea of improving our military capabilities and the I-14 expansion does just that.
