there was a proposal for commuter rail in the Atlanta metro about 20 years ago. The map had several hub n spoke lines from downtown to suburbs in all directions. That would’ve helped. Atlanta needs commuter rail, build out MARTA, the Northern Arc. If I had Musk money, I’d completely reconstructed their freeways too, with express lanes in the middle separated by concrete barriers.

Massive and rapid rail expansion is the answer. Regional rail, streetcar lines, rapid transit, and buses are the answer.

I first came to Atlanta in the Mid 80’s and it wasn’t that bad. For a few years I went to conventions at World Congress Center and went to training in the suburbs. I stopped for a few years and when I started coming back I noticed it was getting really bad.

Been enjoying your videos for a while now, especially the ones of Florida. My solution for Atlanta and for most other North American cities Is to follow the London model. That is to expand transit services in the inner city and add freeways to the suburbs. Atlanta could also benefit from some commuter rail lines to the suburbs (that also operate OUTSIDE of rush hour) complement MARTA. Coming up with a plan to solve this is easy. What’s difficult is changing the minds of people who don’t want to see this happen.(NIMBY’s) Like many other cities, it’s a matter of whether there is a drive or desire to change and it seems that they need to find a way to change the hearts and minds of those that stopping this from happening (or just ignoring them for the greater good).

Nicely done! (I agree with your take on GA-400 to I-675)

From a local Metro Atlanta resident, great video. You pretty much covered all the issues we are stuck with. The "final/costly" Ga. 400 could happen. Build upward, a second deck, or as mentioned below a 2 lane limited road that is "just passing through" that is elevated. The area doesn't have much seismic activity that would cause catastrophic failure like I-880 in California in 1989. Tunneling would be a chore, the strata underneath the city is solid rock. Thats why underground MARTA expansion is tricky. An outer loop is/will be built. As mentioned, Hwy 20 is shifting somewhat to that. The Sugarloaf Pkwy limited access extension in Gwinnett has right of way purchased from Hwy 316 to I-85. It will get completed whether the residents want it or not. (I'm near the proposed site, not thrilled about construction, but it needs to happen) There are other right of way purchases from 85 past the Mall of Georgia towards 985 and Hwy 20 as well. If interested check the Gwinnett DOT webpage for more info. NIMBY obstruction will continue to wane as the situation continues to stay as untenable as it is. One compromise is looping MARTA/rail in the general vicinity of 285 with spurs branching out as short or far as allowed. As the Boomers "phase out" and the area gets more out of towners and locals get damn fed up, something like this can work. Now, would it be MARTA or a regional/county light rail that ties in? That's probably out of my pay grade, but I despise driving into town and I'd be thrilled to take a train if efficient. I took the train from the Indian Creek end station into downtown for school. It works. And Milage Mike is correct. If you are heading to live in the metro Atlanta area, live near where you work, or you'll be damn miserable. Did that crap for 8 almost, 9 years. Wasn't worth it in the end. TL/DR: Abandon all hope, ye who move to Atlanta if you want to travel in a timely manner. Or drive around from Midnight to 4:30 am.

From my experience of living in Atlanta for 15 years: You don't need car to get around Atlanta inside of I-285, as MARTA has that pretty well covered. You need the car to go anywhere outside of I-285.

Atlanta needs a HUGE expansion of the MARTA rail system! Cars was the transportation of yesterday, rail is the transportation of tomorrow. This expansion needs to have a plethora of stops connecting the ITP. Don’t forget about the OTP connect the rail system with the OTP and watch traffic go down, our carbon emissions will go down, and it would make Atlanta so much more walkable

Great video. I've noticed a "Bermuda Triangle" section of I-75 that is notorious for accidents between Cartersville and Northeast of Acworth. It seems like nearly every day there are some major pile up. I've even seen four or five all in one day. The only thing I can think of is the exurbs meeting the suburbs and people coming down from Tennessee not used to all the traffic. I-75 really could use some widening up to Cartersville from where it runs out at Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw. The inside shoulder of I-75 is already wide enough to support one more Lane.

One idea I have heard discussed as a way to alleviate congestion on the connector is to remove many of the on-ramps and off-ramps. There are currently far too many and they disrupt traffic flow moving through the city. This is particularly noticeable on the Edgewood ave. southbound ramp. If half the ramps were removed in this area it would improve things significantly. It is unfortunate that Marta has not been allowed to expand into Cobb and Gwinett counties. That change along would at least provide an alternative to commuters. I live in Decatur and am fortunate to have easy access to the train if needed. It really comes in handy when going to/from the airport.

I have lived in the Atlanta area since 1974 and am familiar how traffic has increased. The real problem is that there are too many people moving here with no roads or alternate transportation to accommodate the increased population. You mentioned GA 400 being as part of the downtown connector. It actually terminates north of the downtown connector on I-85. One thing you failed to mention, although you had it highlighted in blue was that US 78, aka Stone Mountain Freeway, was supposed to terminate at the downtown connector but residents in Decatur and further into town were successful to block it before I moved to the area. You didn't mention I-20. It has become congested over the years as well. There is a free HOV lane on the east side of Atlanta and it goes to I-285. Traffic on I-20 outside I-285 is horrible especially during rush hour. I-75 South has become just as congested as that on the northside. Reversible toll HOV lanes have been constructed like on I-75 north of I-285. During popular holiday breaks and even at other times, southbound traffic is a parking lot. I do agree that an outer loop should have been built many years ago. BTW I have a civil engineering degree and enjoy transportation issues but I am into railroading and worked for a major freight rail system for 30 years.

An outer perimeter would help a lot. When traveling from South Georgia to any point north such as Chattanooga requires a drive through Atlanta. No other options are available. Also it should be noted that traveling northbound 75 from Macon, the Atlanta congestion starts at Locust Grove, and there's a perpetual choke point a few miles north of McDonough where 75 narrows to 3 lanes and the HOV lanes are always closed. Makes no sense. I've driven in several major cities, and Atlanta is 2nd only to the Big Apple itself in backups. If NYC got rid of its interminable lines at toll booths it wouldn't be too bad, much better than the Atlanta area. Except downtown NYC, which is in a class of horror all to itself.

until Atlanta moves past it's fears with Marta, don't expect any expansions anytime soon. Marta would also rather focus on BRT these days.

It's honestly baffling to see that most Americans believe that the solution to traffic is to expand highways and build more roads. All this does is promote growth in suburbs that results in more traffic. The only real way to fix these issues is to build cities around public transport. When you focus growth around walkable areas and make it easy to reach by public transport you won't want to get in your car to drive every time you need to leave your house for something

The USA is a country with a culture that loves the automobile. Mass transportation won't work here...NYC is the only place it does and that's because it is unlike any other American city, and even then on the outskirts of the boroughs everyone uses a car. Significant changes in roadway design/planning, in conjunction with population growth deterrents in the cities (keep people from moving to the major Sun Belt cities), are the only ways to ameliorate these issues.

I live in College Park, towing for 911 in Fulton. It's so brutally insane, people are torn apart and suffer every day from the current system.

People in Georgia really need to learn how to drive, traffic wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t as dangerous

Expansion of MARTA into Gwinnett, Cobb, and further up 400 would solve a lot of the problems north of the city. Downtown is a little more complicated. Maybe consider a tolled tunnel in the approximate vicinity where I-485 was proposed. Although this would be a monumental undertaking, it would be the only feasible alternative I can think of to condemning thousands of homes and businesses to build a new ground-level highway. When you've got 14 lane highways and are still congested, then it's time to look at alternatives to widening roads.

I’m at Atlanta resident, thanks so much for this video. I learned a lot from it. Never knew 400 and 675 were supposed to connect! I can’t unsee that now!

Thanks for the video, Mike. It is clear you did your research. Regarding the highways in the northern part of Atlanta Metro, we start getting into the foothills leading into the Smoky Mountains. The presence of hills, lakes, creeks, and rivers greatly increases the financial cost and logistic difficulties that would be needed for a northern freeway. To extend 400 or 675 would disrupt businesses, including moving outreach programs people need. It is not as simple as blaming politicians or even rich people. The MARTA experience is lousy on bus and rail. Look closer and see successful transit bus programs from counties such as Cobb or Henry. If MARTA was even passable, these would not be needed as much.

Interesting video Mike!!! This traffic directly affects me since I live in Cartersville, GA one of those exurbs about 40 miles northwest of ATL up I-75. Development keeps creeping up from Achworth while the Cartersville area is growing fast on its own. Soon my town will look like every other part of ATL only surrounding Lake's Allatoona and Achworth. Fortunately I work from home, but I do occasionally have to go into the office in Sandy Springs. And I like doing stuff in ATL so this is a big issue for me.

The main problem with the connector is the interchange at I-20. The traffic always slows at the Grady Curve. People are always tapping the breaks which has a compounding knock on effect. Then everyone suddenly realizes they have to get all the way over to the right to get on I-20...its a big mess.

I've loved your videos for years now so it's nice, although a little strange lol, to be able to picture a voice with the channel. This was a very informational video and a very hot topic! Nicely done!

Great content Mike!

FYI there is a difference between HOV and Express Lanes, HOV Lanes (all inside I-285) are free so long as you have 2+ People in a vehicle and were built in the 90s. Express Lanes (all Outside I-285) can be used solo so long as you have a Peach Pass and were built in the 10s, with more to come along GA-400 and I-285 by the end of the decade.

My first time hearing your voice, pretty neat. I’m also a geography enthusiast so that’s also cool :D

totally agree with u..also excellent analysis

If people would get off their phones and move right when not passing then it would be a lot better. There are literally a bunch of people that as soon as they get on 285, immediately go all the way to the 3rd lane or the far left lane and go 50, and stay in that lane until 30 feet from their exit, and cross 3 lanes of traffic to take the exit. I don't know how many times I've passed hundreds of cars at a time by moving to the right lane in traffic. It's like they don't know the right lane exist.

Fantastic video! Your sense of humor is also great. I would love to see more of this content about Atlanta. Although there are many things I love about Atlanta, I have to say the traffic makes me want to move away asap. Not to mention the expected population influx you mentioned, which there is just no way that the city and metro area can handle. Things are going to get really, really, REALLY bad before they get better. If they do get better. In 10 years, this nightmare will only be worse, not to mention the heartbreaking gentrification and housing crisis that seems to be on some perpetual feedback loop. In my opinion, the residents and descendants of (mostly) northern suburbs are now feeling the effects of their racism daily as they sit in an urban planning nightmare trading hours of their lives for frustration and anger. Yet, do they even realize? And it seems they don't bat an eye at the irony of driving down to MARTA stations in the communities they want to avoid contact with to use them rather then be part of the system and help everyone. Sorry for the rant, it's just mind boggling.

Thanks for your very on-point video. Marta is 50 years behind on expansion. I have ridden Marta for over 20 years and it could help more than anything.

I'm a trucker in Atlanta the simple solution to the traffic problem give people tickets half the traffic is due to people being nosey half the time its a an accident on the southbound side people on the northbound side have to stop the look just an example of course and stop doing road construction in the middle of the day every other state you go to do road construction at night.

We need a second loop around Atlanta.

After moving here, I am irritated with the drivers in Atlanta. Drivers here see pedestrians, or rather they don't see pedestrians, as inconveniences. They see red lights and cross walks as "suggestions". It's even worse if you try to bike within the city.

The outer Perimeter would have been a big help. I had not heard of the GA400 tunnel plans but have long thought that an express (elevated or tunnel) lane through downtown (no exits, just bypassing the connector) would be a huge help. Improved street signs (larger and centrally positioned above the intersection) would benefit all side streets Lastly, and my most controversial suggestion, is more vigorous licensing standards for drivers in the metro area. Currently testing occurs on a closed course and only tests for rudimentary vehicle operation. Atlanta's lane discipline and overall knowledge of driving etiquette is woeful. More rigorous and frequent testing would provide the most immediate benefit imo.

The Spaghetti Bowl!! At least only local big trucks are permitted inside I-285, so cars can fight it out Downtown. Many Georgia secondary roads are 2-lanes (one each way) so poor at moving volume traffic (should have looked to NC where many US routes are limited access (on/off ramps). And too late to build a "way-out-beltway" like Boston, Houston, Chicago. Easiest drive through Atlanta ever: when Georgia played Alabama in Mercedes Dome for National Championship, and Georgia was winning (til the third quarter). I crossed Atlanta, I-20, I-285, I-20 in 30 minutes!!

Spent a lot of time in Atlanta growing up being from New Jersey since I have a lot of family down there. Every time I went I was always amazed on just how massive the interstate going through Downtown ATL was (7 lanes!), and how I-20 seriously is a massive part of the traffic buildup

As an out of stater (CA) who traveled to Atlanta recently, I can confirm what Mileage Mike says is accurate and true. I didn't realize Atlanta was a huge ass city very much like Los Angeles. Both are known to have bad traffic and you need a vehicle to get around. I wouldn't live in Atlanta for many reasons. Traffic, the 3-hour ahead thing, and it reminds me a lot of Los Angeles. No thanks!

I’ve always said it needed a loop around 285! I had designed something similar and even had traction with a petition going back in 2014. It’s similar to the lay of Houston with Beltway 8.

Never seen this channel, what a cool idea for a channel!

I moved out of the north metro area several years ago, after being born and raised there, as my father and his family was. The traffic was and always has been bad. I was a wrecker driver in the late 80's right out of high school, and I couldn't fathom doing that now in Atlanta. Now I live in rural northeast Georgia right outside of Athens, and while the traffic situation in the Classic City is in need of some type of relief, it is light-years ahead of Atlanta's situation. I don't know what the solution is; no one wants to budge on anything in the metro area. I don't believe it will ever get better; it seems they've built themselves into a corner with no hopes of improvement. I'm just happy I don't have to deal with any of that chaos anymore.

I recently relocated from Atlanta after living there for 12 years and I’ll be the first to say I’m so happy that I don’t have to deal with that traffic nor the horrible drivers anymore.. 285 & 400 are just nightmares man..

285 been the same forever. All semi trucks are forced to use it. A lot of traffic is passing through ATL because you have to go through there to get to other cities and areas. ATL needs an outer loop preferably a toll loop.

First comment! This video is very informative and useful. Thanks mike!

Great info Mike, more please. I have a few tales, some many years ago. I have a few shortcuts, but the name “shortcut” is a bad one.

Even though I'm late to comment, to me because major cities have traffic jams on its freeways because either they need an outer perimeter, people can't drive, public transits, or the merge tapers. I'm also pretty sure merge tapers is the most reason why it be traffic jams. GDOT and other states that go through this definitely need to revive some cancelled freeway projects. I definitely agree with GA-400 to I-675, otherwise later on, all Hell will break loose with Atlanta traffic if they don't work this out.

Good video on a worthy topic Mike. I suggest there are additional causes that should also be addressed. (1) Atlanta Public Schools are terrible. This directly impacts traffic. How? The quality of education is poor. Because of this, many people who work in the city choose to live in the suburbs (where the schools are better), forcing them to drive 20-40 miles per day to work. More road miles=more congestion. (2) Traffic in the suburbs is often just as bad as traffic in the city. This is heavily influenced by gated neighborhoods and cul-de-sacs. I grew up in Kansas, where the streets are all laid out in a grid. If one street gets too congested, it's a simple matter to take a detour to the next street. In Atlanta, there are many neighborhoods with 500+ homes, with only one or two entrances to the neighborhood and cul-de-sacs designed to reduce through traffic. With this approach, if a street gets congested, the detour may take you miles out of your way. (3) Mass transit is indeed a great idea. I've lived and worked in Chicago and NYC. Both cities have excellent mass transportation. MARTA is not like those systems. In Chicago and NYC, trains are within walking distance of your origin and destination. In Atlanta, you must first drive to a MARTA station, park, then wait for the train. This process often results in a longer commute than by car alone. More important, MARTA sometimes feels unsafe. I've never felt unsafe on trains in Chicago or NYC, but several times my wife and I have chosen to get off a MARTA train due to fights on the train or in the station with no security or police presence in the area. Could MARTA be fixed? Probably. I'm merely saying this is more than a matter of building more mass transit. It must also feel safe or people with cars will not use it. Finally, to your point in the video, I would love to know who decided it was a good idea to intersect two major interstate highways in the middle of the city. Not only do they intersect, but they also share 7 miles of roadway. That was a huge mistake, even when the city was much smaller than it is today.

Having lived there for many years until relocating to FL ... I often joked that "Atlanta" is an old Chicopee Indian word meaning "Land of Many Orange Barrels". LOL

Atlanta and the Georgia DOT did a piss poor job planning for the future. I remember back in the early 90s that a second loop was proposed but it never Happened. You look at the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex, they've built new Freeways/ tollways especially to the north where the population has exploded at a very high rate over the past 3 decades. I truly believe believe Dallas and the Texas DOT planned for the future. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has a high speed rail service from Downtown Dallas up to Plano.

I'm really enjoying your videos. And that's a great question. The only way they can fixed it is more railways, more city transportations which most people won't be able to go where they need to go, and less gas usage. We know gas prices are high now and sadly, it won't dropped anytime soon but less gas usage can stop the polluting issues.

0:39 Thanks for for showing the TOL!

Nashville (where I live) is another city that exemplifies explosive growth that is occurring in the south. It's basically a mini-Atlanta in that sense with 3 major freeways going through it as well. Nashville even has a small amount of rail service to its east side, but a proposal to build more rail service was shot down by political hostility (most of it having basically no local relation to Nashville at all). Also, if that ginormous 840 loop were actually completed around the city as originally envisioned, it could have possibly been the longest beltway in the country, but the state gave up on the idea of building it north of I-40 due to the notoriously rocky terrain in that area (which would have made building the highway there enormously expensive). In general, suburbia has shown a lot of hostility toward allowing new highways to be built, and where they did get built, they got built in sections where there wasn't enough opposition to the idea. On that point, I doubt much more of what happened in the beginning of the interstate highway age will repeat itself as many affluent black neighborhoods were basically destroyed and rendered to third-world status when those highways were built.

I drive a semi and take 285 all the time between 5 am an around 11pm it always seems to be jacked up. I think they honestly should make a commercial only by-pass lanes kinda like 95 through jersey. As for that downtown mess ?

It can be fixed with more trains, bike lanes and cycle tracks, and walkable neighborhoods with safe sidewalks.

As a person who grew up in Atlanta, traffic is the worst I have ever seen it. Some solutions as far as transit is maybe commuter trains for the places outside the perimeter and expand the Marta network within the perimeter and put transit on the belt line that circles the city it self. People have to stop lacking vision and think if someone else wants to use transit that means less cars on the existing road network. We have stop thinking of transit as being for only poor and lower class folks, and think of it as a way to get around the city. I would personally prefer to save my money from being spent on my car such as gas , car insurance, car notes, etc and be able to put that money to work for building wealth for myself and my family. Atlanta has so much potential but there is a lack of vision.

Was trying to avoid Atlanta travelling south on 75 to Columbus GA in late June. Was on interstate around Atlanta when travel come to a crawl after an entrance ramp. Something I had never seen before some people turned their autos around and went up the entrance ramp. The traffic started moving shortly after but their was no sign of why traffic stopped.

We travel from Tennessee to Florida to see family a couple of times a year. It’s gotten so bad we go through Alabama to Columbus, GA. It takes you off interstates much of the way, but most of it is still four lane road. It adds all of an hour to driving time, but most of the route has about 10% of the traffic that you get from Chattanooga to Macon.

I just started my freshman year of college in ATL. I grew up with the Capital Beltway and know my way around gridlock… and still wasn’t prepared. After 2 weeks here that mythical outer beltway can’t come soon enough 😂😂😂

It's too late, the suburbs around Atlanta have not only expanded but have also increased in population density. Any new proposals will face even more oposition. The traffic jams used to stop at Forest Park on the south side, now you fight your way all the way to Macon. Could you take a look at the lightrail project in Milwaukee? Does it have any chance of being anything other than a political boondoggle?

An outer loop of Atlanta would be SO HELPFUL! They need to start building that! If only GDOT hadn't scrapped that, there'd be less traffic jams in ATL! GDOT also needs to build future I-14! I also agree with your take on GA-400 to I-675! GDOT also needs to revive I-485 and I-420!

If everybody who wasn't born in Georgia left that would really alleviate the problem

WHO THOUGHT it was a good idea to MERGE 2 very busy freeways into 1 GIGANTIC superhighway?! Now EVERYTHING is congested!

OMG my husband is your twin! He is also a Civil Engineer and what I call a “map nerd”. Enjoyed the video!

Just wait till you drive to LA AND NY traffic you will understand the true meaning of bad traffic

Moved from Johns Creek up north to Midtown. Can see my condo a couple times in the video. Saved a ton in gas but that cancels out with the expensive HOA. Nice to be able to walk to work in 10 minutes though. Not missing the traffic, gridlock, nor the terrible driving. I used to blame the bad drivers but realized it's the civil engineers who designed the roads who are to be blamed. The poor signage, confusing lane management and exit planning, and overall road design - that's mostly what leads to the drivers swerving across so many lanes and exiting at the last second.

If they'll expand 24 from Chattanooga to Augusta passing north east of Atlanta it would help a lot

The connector is like a north/south funnel. Break it up with a north/south offshoot extension from Moores Mill/North Avenue to I-20 or Lakewood similar to Andrew Young Blvd. Then take 400 all the way to I-20 near Gresham Rd.

Yes I know you're talking about I live in Gwinnett County and the traffic is just horrible in the county itself.

I enjoyed your video

In a satellite view, you can see Carter Presidential Library sits right in the middle of a massive interchange clearing, with the north-south and east-west right-of-ways extending for a quarter mile beyond. It would be interesting to know how many residents and businesses were displaced to make way way for the mostly-unbuilt freeways here.

This affects me because I'm an hour from Atlanta. An outer perimeter would help so much for me so I could bypass Atlanta when going to Chattanooga or going to Greenville/Spartanburg. GDOT needs to start major construction ASAP. I-14, an outer perimeter, GA 400, GA 400/285 interchange, etc.

You underestimate how much truckers hate Atlanta

The problem with any potential solution is that construction times will be so long that it will be out of date before it is finished. Where I live, thee are proposals that are out of date already, and planning hasn't even begun.

Induce demand does not fix traffic. Take a look at Paris metro and commuter rail system. Suburbs to suburbs connections can be possible by rail, tram, BRT, bikeways, and other mobility modes. Cars can not fix traffic, they add traffic. Marta has the money to expand highway BRT routes on a frequent schedule. People would benefit transit over cars regardless what the traffic is.

I really like this video. More freeways would work, but we still need some form of really good mass transit but absolutely an outer perimeter and some more downtown freeways will help. Maybe more buffered bike lanes?

Dang not even going to mention traffic coming from Birmingham or any part of Alabama in the beginning of the video. Just overlook us in Alabama I see.

Add an "I-420 Loop" to circuit I-20 bypass traffic to the South around Atlanta and I-285, in the same manner that "I-840" routes Nashville I-40 bypass traffic around the city center. In Atlanta, the crossings of I-20, I-85 and I-285 create traffic congestion, much the same as the crossings of I-65, I-40 and I-24 did in Nashville, TN, until the I-840 loop started to carry I-40 bypass traffic away from the city center.

The solution is expensive but must be done unless they want Atlanta to collapse. 1. Downtown Alternative- Release pressure off Downtown Highway. 2. Outer Perimeter- This Should have been done in the 80s, mid 90s at the latest since the mass growth of Atlanta was known even back then. A Perimeter road or possibly 2 should be built to allow an actual bypass of Atlanta. 3. Expand MARTA- Atlanta had a good idea but it needs State backing to get off the ground. Local public transit is a viable option. 4. Regional Rail- Rail can connect Atlanta to other nearby Cities getting cars off the road. 5. Inter Regional Rail- Conect Atlanta to other Major cities with High Speed Rail.

Coming from Dallas and Houston, I've noticed that there's not many highways here like Texas and the main roads in Texas are 4 and 5 lanes going each way and here there's 1 and 2 lanes going each way !

Georgia is providing a tax rebate for its residence. Of course everyone likes getting a tax rebate, but many don't realize the true cost. They don't connect the rebate with the lack of funds needed to improve urban and suburban infrastructure. I would love to drive to my Acworth home from points south without getting stuck in the MCDonough parking lot. Traffic builds miles before the lexus lanes. But hey, I can take the fam out to dinner with that rebate.

I've proposed i67. From the 24/75 junction, with a spur to i59/24 junction, follow 27 to Newnan, 85 and 185 to Columbus, 27 again to Tallahassee, east on i10 a bit, then us19 down to the fl121 junction at Lebanon Station and cut around citrus springs to the i75/turnpike junction. Florida bound traffic coming through Chattanooga wouldn't even have to deal with the entire Dalton to Cordelle area, and is far enough out it shouldn't get grown over by Atlanta.

Fantastic video. I work right beside 285/400 and have worked in or passed through that area for the better part of 20 years. Your analysis is spot on and it was colossally stupid that the politicians caved on the outer loop. I have lived near various places on that path and I would totally and enthusiastically embrace it (of course I watch KZfaq videos about highways so maybe I’m odd! 🤣) I did want to make a few points on MARTA. I’ve become much more open to rail transit since traveling extensively in Europe and seeing their systems at work. But I do not think MARTA the entity is the answer. Because of decades of connection to Fulton and Dekalb, I think it’s a reasonable question if other countries would ever be truly considered equals in a larger MARTA. I’ve argued that MARTA and the county bus systems should be consolidated into a new regional entity, eg MTA or MBTA, and put under the auspices of the state. Also, rather than extend the Marta rail network first, it seems to be that regional commuter rail, leveraging rail corridors could be started much quicker than the MARTA heavy rail network could be grown.

My observations moving to Atl from the midwest 10yrs ago: Get rid of cul de sac neighborhoods that force everyone to pack secondary roads. Put your kids a the bus at first grade and charge parents for the privilege of driving onto school property. Start teaching the next generation to use public transportation now. My 2c

Looking at Atlanta it needs a lot of highway and railway infrastructure: 1. An Outerbelt Expressway to capture through traffic and distribute regional traffic. 2. Additional spoke freeways between The Perimeter and the suggested Outerbelt Expressway. 3. Commuter rail on every active railroad track! 4. Extensions of the existing MARTA subway lines and building Additional lines within the city. Areas around all stations should be zoned for walkable higher densities. Huge parking lots, endless single family home developments, strip malls, and office parks cannot generate ridership! 5. Make MARTA safe! Others are complaining about crime on the MARTA.

I enjoyed this greatly Mileage Mike! I hear stories about Atlanta traffic all the time from people who drive from up where I live in Wisconsin down to Florida to escape the chills of winter. They always complain about bottlenecks in Nashville, Chattanooga and of course Atlanta. The problem in a lot of cities is that transportation hasn't been able to adapt to people's commuting habits which have changed over the past couple of decades. Most of the time, when planners plan mass transit systems, the only focus is on downtown. I'm not against that either, I think a healthy downtown benefits the entire metropolitan area but at the same time just focusing on one part of a metro doesn't really address the overall congestion issue either. While many things go on in the middle of Atlanta and other large cities, a lot of people commute suburb to suburb and don't even bother with with the center of the city. I'm not sure if developing the suburbs around the ring roads was the most efficient way we could have done things in America but it is what we did and now, our beltways no longer function as bypasses. I think Houston is the most extreme example of this but it happens all over the place. I have no idea if it is possible to know what percentage of trips end up in Atlanta and the perimeter versus just people driving through because that would be interesting.

it is proven fact that the only thing that reduces traffic is providing alternative transportation options. building out the freeway network (which is quite frankly already overbuilt) and adding more lanes to existing highways will only make traffic worse as atlanta grows. you take people off the roads and put them in train cars and you’ll see less traffic. that is something this video is missing

Rail/public transit is the only real solution to the traffic problem imo.

Only thing the HOV lanes did was put the passing lane on the right shoulder. They do nothing but disrupt, just like Nashville. Useless.

Its just too many people moving here. We are full up. Please try a different state. We have reached capacity of terrible drivers.

Dear City of Atlanta: Expand public transportation AND learn from Houston on how to build a freeway!

Great video Mike. I for one would like to see Marta expansion. It’s a shame Cobb and Gwinnett county won’t allow Marta expansion into their counties. These two counties are two of the three most populous counties in Georgia.

The best solution would be expanding MARTA, but since that won't happen anytime soon, I'm not really sure what else can be done. Widening highways doesn't solve traffic anywhere, but Atlanta's geography makes it even worse. While other Sun Belt cities that developed more recently and are in flatter areas like Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix can just expand outwards, the topography of Atlanta limits that, so the only choice is to build new developments wherever they can find the land. That just increases capacity on the existing road networks that are already filled to the brim. Among fast-growing Southern cities, Atlanta is unique in that it's an older city in a mountainous area with limited opportunities for construction of new areas, except in the exurbs like Cherokee and Forsyth County. Population expansion without infrastructure upgrades is what's really killing Atlanta, and it's not just a problem in the suburbs. A prime example of this is West Midtown, where they developed an area of derelict warehouses into a yuppy-style high-end neighborhood. But there's no transit, and the roads are just simple two-lane arterial roads that now see endless congestion because there's no other transportation option. I've also seen in Midtown where they removed all breakdown lanes to allow more room for traffic. The issue is that now there's nowhere to pull over, so a stopped car will just stop in the middle of the lane, and people who don't realize it will have to change lanes quickly, which actually causes more congestion. Competency tests for drivers also wouldn't hurt 😂. I swear, Atlanta has by far the worst drivers of any city I've ever been to lol.

I honestly think they should add another alternate interstate because we already have I-285 and that interstate that is supposed to be an alternative route to miss the absolute madhouse that is I-85 is jam-packed too. How has Atlanta not realized this yet also was that you talking in the video Georgia Mike if so cool voice reveal if it's you.

Didn't mention the mayors of north Fulton that shot down Marta expanding over the Chattahoochee River because of traffic concerns from Gwinnett and cobb counties.

As a Louisiana resident who occasionally has to travel to the Upstate of SC, I like your analysis and remedy. I have no desire to go to Atlanta, but there's no other way for me to travel - not even a decent 4-lane US highway. An outer beltway would help, say from south of Newnan - Griffin - Covington - Brassleton , or even farther out from Columbus - Macon - Athens. Midwest people going to Florida similarly need a way to go around the west side.

You should do one of these videos on Chicago

This is what I think I-85 should be in Georgia. I-85 Should be expanding from 3 lanes from GA state line to near exit 35 near Grantville, GA. I-85 is fine until after the I-285 interchange in College Park. Expand I-85 to 4 lanes from I-285 to Langford Pkwy. Make a collector distributor for exits 76 & 77. Use the right Lane for Langford Pkwy, The left 2 lanes for I-85 North. 2nd To Right Lanes will be a choice lane. Exits 247 - 249 should be a collector distributor system. Have Two lanes to get on Buford Connector, one being a choice lane. Have more signs showing that the right Lane is exiting to 400. Add another lane to the Greenville Ramp. I-85 is good until exit 126 where it narrows to 3 lanes. I-85 Should be 3 lanes (in each direction) to the SC border (parts of it are already being widened)

To MM from WC, my son lives in ATL , Lawrenceville, then Smyrna, in his early years 1991+ he lived NE off I-85 and was given the opportunity to ride MARTA free! After a few months he went back to his truck, what does that tell you? After marriage he & his wife moved to Smyrna. Over the years he got to tide his bike, then to near Spaghetti Junction, and now to Marietta to go to work! He told me years ago about the plans for I-485, and I have to wonder now if it had been built as planned then if it wouldn’t have been helping traffic now?! Soon they will move north about 65 miles and use the “fly over” lanes to go to work! If you build a new highway when good engineers have planned it and get the financing in place it might really be doing you some good in 10-15 years! Oh, and until you can do commuting like the Germans with clean trains and behaving people, I don’t think mass transit will ever really work here!

The connector isn't so bad when you drive it at 2AM.

An extensive rail system is the answer, and that was learned over a century ago. New York City, population of 8 million, moves over 5 million people a day via the subway (pre-pandemic). Just like BART of San Francisco, Atlanta should have built their initially planned system decades ago. Now both metro areas are regretting it. The Bay Area had an extensive rail system before BART, but those tracks were ripped up--and sadly, that's another story in itself.

I was born and raised in Atlanta never enjoyed the traffic . Live in Myrtle now . I really enjoy your Myrtle videos . When are you coming back ? I would love to see a Highway 90 POV from Conway to Sea Mountain Highway on other side of swing Bridge.......😁