Outer Perimeter
Encyclopedia
The Outer Perimeter was an expressway
originally planned to encircle Atlanta about 20 to 25 miles (about 30 to 40 km) farther away from the city than the existing Perimeter Highway
(I-285).
, Cumming
, Buford
, Dacula, Loganville
, Conyers
, McDonough
, Hampton
, Newnan, Peachtree City, Villa Rica
, and Dallas
. The roadway was to have roughly paralleled State Route 20, which goes around three sides of Atlanta.
A later incarnation of the highway only encompassed what was termed the Northern Arc and included the portion of the original planned highway from Interstate 75
near Cartersville across to Interstate 85
near the Mall of Georgia
in Buford. One proposal tied to this version would have reportedly limited exits to five major highway interchanges, at the freeways that crossed it: I-75; I-575; Georgia 400; I-985; and I-85.
The Northern Arc was to have been a toll road
under another proposal, which advocates say would have kept most local traffic away from the highway, while freeing it for trucks. Opponents said that despite the toll, the road would have encouraged additional development and congestion, creating the continued urban sprawl
that, at times, threatens to overwhelm areas much closer to Atlanta-proper.
The original Perimeter, I-285, which was originally planned as a bypass
of the city and was completed in 1969, has in effect become one of the main freeway routes for both local traffic and traffic passing through the Atlanta area.
.
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
originally planned to encircle Atlanta about 20 to 25 miles (about 30 to 40 km) farther away from the city than the existing Perimeter Highway
Interstate 285
Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...
(I-285).
Planning
The original plan of the highway was to have roughly gone through or near the communities of Cartersville, CantonCanton, Georgia
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958.-Geography:Canton is located at ....
, Cumming
Cumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,430 at the 2010 census. However, places with a Cumming mailing address have a population of around 100,000...
, Buford
Buford, Georgia
As of 2010 Buford had a population of 12,225. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 65.8% white, 13.8% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 14.7% reporting some other race and 2.5% reproting two or more races...
, Dacula, Loganville
Loganville, Georgia
Loganville is a city located mostly in Walton County with a small portion of the city located in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The population was 10,963 at the 2009 census.-Geography:...
, Conyers
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, USA. It is twenty-four miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,689. Census estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 12,205. The city is the county seat of Rockdale County. By 2009, the reported population was...
, McDonough
McDonough, Georgia
McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the...
, Hampton
Hampton, Georgia
Hampton is a city in southwestern Henry County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,987. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 4,743. Hampton mailing addresses also dip into eastern Clayton County and northern Spalding County.The Atlanta Motor...
, Newnan, Peachtree City, Villa Rica
Villa Rica, Georgia
Villa Rica is a city in Carroll and Douglas Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 4,134 at the 2000 census. By the 2010 census, the population had grown to 13,956. The estimated growth was around 211.34%...
, and Dallas
Dallas, Georgia
Dallas is a city in and the county seat of Paulding County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,544. It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States of America under James K. Polk.-History:...
. The roadway was to have roughly paralleled State Route 20, which goes around three sides of Atlanta.
A later incarnation of the highway only encompassed what was termed the Northern Arc and included the portion of the original planned highway from Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
near Cartersville across to Interstate 85
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
near the Mall of Georgia
Mall of Georgia
Mall of Georgia is a regional shopping mall located in the Mill Creek District of Gwinnett County, Georgia, near the city of Buford, northeast of Atlanta. Built in 1999, it is currently the largest shopping mall in the state of Georgia, consisting of more than two hundred stores on three levels...
in Buford. One proposal tied to this version would have reportedly limited exits to five major highway interchanges, at the freeways that crossed it: I-75; I-575; Georgia 400; I-985; and I-85.
The Northern Arc was to have been a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
under another proposal, which advocates say would have kept most local traffic away from the highway, while freeing it for trucks. Opponents said that despite the toll, the road would have encouraged additional development and congestion, creating the continued urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
that, at times, threatens to overwhelm areas much closer to Atlanta-proper.
Route designation
The highway was to have been officially designated Georgia State Route 500. Although officially denied by the GDOT, it may also have carried an internal Interstate Highway number of Interstate 485. Advocates of the highway touted its use by long-distance truck drivers to have them completely avoid the congestion of the highways much closer to Atlanta.The original Perimeter, I-285, which was originally planned as a bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
of the city and was completed in 1969, has in effect become one of the main freeway routes for both local traffic and traffic passing through the Atlanta area.
Current status
Budgetary constraints, political pressure, and public opposition supposedly killed plans for both incarnations of the road. However, the Northern Arc resurfaced in February 2007, with suggestions that it be placed further north, out of the current path of exurban land developmentLand development
Land development refers to altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:* changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing...
.