Five Outer Perimeter Myths

The proposed Outer Perimeter highway is a 211 mile second ring road around Atlanta. Georgia DOT is currently pushing for funding for the northern section between I-75 in Bartow County and SR-316 in Gwinnett County. This section would cost over $2 Billion. It would help spread development even further north, polluting Lake Allatoona, increasing traffic and air pollution, and stealing money from other projects that will provide transportation for people not access for developers.

Outer Perimeter Myths

Myth 1: Outer Perimeter will reduce traffic on I-285.
I-285 is very crowded, however, most of the people driving on the northern section of I-285 are making local trips. The most recent ARC computer models predict that the Outer Perimeter would increase traffic on I-285 because the new highway would spread development over a larger area and force people to drive further.
Myth 2: Outer Perimeter would reduce truck traffic on SR 20.
State Route 20 is a windy two-lane road in many places. Speeding trucks can be a problem on this kind of road. While some long distance truckers may use the new highway, they would quickly be replaced by many more trucks and cars making local trips because of all the new homes and strip shopping centers the Outer Perimeter would bring. Safety problems on SR-20 are best dealt with by safety improvements to the road, traffic lights and better traffic law enforcement.
Myth 3: The northern suburbs have a traffic congestion problem and need the Outer Perimeter for congestion relief.
In a growing metropolitan area like Atlanta, no road expansion can provide long term congestion relief. In fact, many studies show that road widenings lead to even more driving. Congestion in the region can only be dealt with by giving people travel options, reducing the incentives to drive alone and providing more housing and jobs near transit.
Myth 4: The ARC staff recommendations will limit development along the Outer Perimeter preventing many of the sprawl problems created by other highways.
ARC staff have proposed limiting interchanges to the Outer Perimeter and providing a 1000 foot scenic buffer along the highway. There is no legal way to limit the number of interchanges along the Outer Perimeter. Even if the interchanges could be limited the development will just move to the nearest interchange on the intersecting highways.
Myth 5: Growth is coming to the northside anyway so we need to prepare for it.
Our current growth patterns were created by our transportation system. The car companies bought up and destroyed the old trolley lines while the highway agencies built the interstates. Growth has followed the interstate highways away from downtown Atlanta. The first step to limiting sprawl is to stop building highways in the rural areas around Atlanta. The Atlanta region is one of the lowest density major regions in the world. Over one million people could move inside the City of Atlanta before it becomes as dense as Chicago. We can grow inward and upward, not outward.