Why Ring Roads are SO POPULAR and Cities KEEP Building Them

[@edrupp2318]

Another benefit of ring roads, at least in theory, is to divert trucks hauling hazardous materials away from dense city centers.

[@rickc303]

Meh.

[@UHaulShorts]

*FAXX*

[@mattywanders]

My day always gets a little better when a new Mileage Mike video drops.

[@oliviacomputer5014]

Same.

[@LawsonBowling]

My parents moved us to Atlanta in 1965, so I watched 285 being built and literally saw what grew up alongside it. I left Atlanta for good in 1980 but still visit family there and cannot believe how much it has grown. And the traffic on 285 is insane!

[@Jereigh508]

It’s scary traveling on there along with the Trucks because 90% of trucks traveling in the Metro (ATLANTA) have to use 285 unless their Delivery destination is inside 285

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

​@Jereigh508 If Atlanta allowed Trucks to go straight through town on 75/85 between 12 and 6 am, it might motivate more truckers to do that and avoid daytime traffic.

[@fgjr96way]

Yes lots of people left the Midwest/Great Lakes Region to move to Metro Atlanta what it is Today as there are cities with names that were not around in the 70s or 80s

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

Yes, a lot of the suburban areas have incorporated in the last 20 years.

[@RazorFoxDV]

Wasn't expecting the Hampton Roads Beltway to lead off the video. Thanks for including our rinky-dink beltway!

[@kalielwebb3774]

Right! I stay right off 664 by College Dr lol

[@MC-hx6xn]

Until I got my drivers license I didn’t even know I-664 existed lol. But growing up I was quite proud we had so many tunnels for our size and also bemused that I-64 E goes due west (this predated the beltway)

[@firebird6522]

Rings (or loops) are great... until the land around them is developed and then they're just as bad as every other highway.

[@bigdripbobz1072]

yep, I totally agree. One city metro I totally wished there was a beltway for is NYC. Of course too late now with all the urban development already done to the area, but wish 50-60+ years ago in the highway boom, there would be a highway infrastructure loop built around NYC building off the 287, but also providing a N-S expressway across Long Island, somewhere around Massapequa let's say. Have an ultra long (and of course well-engineered) bridge from around Long Beach to Long Branch in NJ, then continue looping around in circular fashion to Princeton, NJ (bypassing I-95 along the way), and then up to Bridgewater, NJ. Of course another bridge from White Plains into Long Island would also have to be built to complete the full loop. But I feel like this type of route can benefit a lot of through travellers and avoid NYC area. Long Island portion of the loop might still be log-jammed in the 21st century, but I'll take the traffic, as the bridge portions will ultimately cover those losses of time up with a direct free-flowing portion that would have no entrance/exit ramps.

[@sunshineimperials1600]

@@bigdripbobz1072And your proposal is why NYC never had (and never will) have a ring road, and it would be impractical now to build a bridge between Long Beach and Long Branch, and forget about building this bridge during the 50s-60s. Ring roads are only practical to metros with flat, featureless land.

[@sunshineimperials1600]

@@bigdripbobz1072And good luck proposing to build a bridge out of Long Island, NIMBYism will never let that happen.

[@GeorgeVajagich]

I would argue all this building is great for housing supply, look at cities that new roads like Dallas and they are most growing most affordable big cities in the US, look at places without new roads like NYC and they are stagnant and expensive

[@sunshineimperials1600]

@@GeorgeVajagich Yeah, but it’s pretty much impossible to build new highways in the NYC region due to the abundance of development. And you can’t build a ring road due to the geographic limitations of the area.. and just calling NYC’s geography a disadvantage seems like a disgrace to centuries of history all because we apparently need more sprawling infrastructure.

[@Sylox95]

Live in the DC area, can shed a bit more info on the Outer Beltway Also known as the Techway, the proposed Outer Beltway was constructed in several parts; the Fairfax County Parkway and obviously MD-200. The biggest issues getting them connected are Montgomery County not wanting their Agricultural Preserve threatened i.e. more development and over development on the Northern Virginia side of things with million dollar homes belonging to powerful people. At the very least, a new crossing over the Potomac River would be insanely helpful and relieve pressure on the American Legion Bridge.

[@Mapmaker1559]

I also live in the DC area. The Techway was actually a proposed segment of the Outer Beltway, specifically the segment between VA-7 and I-270. Similar to how the ICC (MD-200) also forms a segment of the Outer Beltway, albeit a segment that was actually built. Even if we can't get a full Outer Beltway, yes an Outer Potomac Crossing would be a huge pressure relief valve and highly beneficial to the area, opening up new routing options.

[@MGVA1982]

@@Mapmaker1559 For all the bullshit around the ICC, the histrionic demands that it be built, andincluding the election of Bob Ehrlich in 2002 - nobody uses the damn thing.

[@k4everut]

I lived in Clarksburg, Montgomery County, MD for two years during the pandemic while my daughter and her family lived in Silver Spring. Both my wife and daughter worked in Bethesda. My daughter's in-laws still live in Northern Virginia, right across the Maryland-Virginia border. I have some not so fond memories of both the MD-200 and the I-485 DMV beltway. The DMV is the only area I've been to where people will actively try and prevent you from entering and exiting the darn highway! The people in the far right lane act like they own that lane and will actually speed up to prevent you from merging into that lane. It's the most dangerous lane on the DMV highways! I loved the culture of the DMV. Hated the high cost of rent, unfriendly people, and rude drivers.

[@Nokose-360]

There is something some people call natural ring roads, which means 3 interstates form a certain beltway like the one in Columbia South Carolina which i26, i20, and finally I77 form a complete beltway

[@growingup15]

I was gonna bring up Columbia. Yeah we have a ring road from merging Interstates and I think it's pretty cool. There has been talks for awhile in making a north/ northwest connector road that connects Killian to Harbison in some way. At first it was an interstate idea but now it will be nice to see a nice Blvd. 4 lanes with a tree lined median and protected bike lanes on both sides.

[@Nokose-360]

@growingup15 Yeah, they are pretty rare to find too.

[@colormedubious4747]

Some surprisingly small towns in eastern Texas have loops/ring roads/bypasses/whatever around them. Drive to Atlanta from Austin using US 79, and you can use them to avoid driving through the centers of Palestine and Carthage. South of there, Lufkin is encircled. Near the Gulf, Victoria can be avoided from every direction, and tiny little Sinton is almost ringed now, too. In the Panhandle, Lubbock and Amarillo wear their rings proudly.

[@ClementinesmWTF]

Even some cities that’re within larger metros have their own ring roads. Conroe-north of Houston but still part of the metro area-has its own full loop, while Taylor (Greater Austin) and Denton (DFW) have half loops that have land to be expanded to full ones should they ever be needed.

[@willp.8120]

Just so everyone knows, he is not meaning Atlanta, Georgia, rather Atlanta, Texas.

[@colormedubious4747]

@@willp.8120 You don't know me! I absolutely meant Atlanta, GEORGIA. US-79 to I-20 is the most direct route from central TX. Why would I want to go to Atlanta TX?

[@ScottGammans]

Mileage Mike, I’m from Longview and *instantly* recognized EXACTLY where that scene at 1:18 was shot! Great video!

[@TomRedlion]

Take a look a the belt road around the souther section of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Excellent example of a limited access surface street.

[@joshhighburger8869]

I was googling "are ring roads and beltways the same thing" right before you mentioned Texas cities 😂 always love when you put out a new video!

[@andrewdiamond2697]

Atlanta desperately needs a SuperPerimeter. It should have happened in the 1990s.

[@jliller]

A serious failure of urban planning.

[@firebird6522]

Tyler, TX has a second, partial ring road in addition to Loop 323. I go through Tyler to visit a family member to the north. Loop 323 is always congested. So a new toll partial loop TX 49 was built. Very few exits and no development on it. Very nice way to avoid traffic in Tyler. Worth every penny to take.

[@WakandaleezaRazz]

As a Texan, you’re silly. Imagine paying tolls 💀💀💀💀 bruh we had a budget surplus. Wake up. We’re being played.

[@SavageScientist]

Man you are killing it this is a great video

[@brucearthur5108]

I enjoy how you used examples from all over the country. As a Virginian it was nice to see Culpeper and the Beltway in the video, but I also enjoyed learning about exotic faraway places like Denver.

[@OhNoFroBro]

Charlotte's I-485 ring road is just a big racetrack; I hate driving on it.

[@jliller]

The west side is, at least for now, a much needed bypass for I-77 thru traffic.

[@WakandaleezaRazz]

Womp wompppppppp. Houston’s 610 is a parking lot. Be glad yours actually moves lmfao

[@jesscarey7666]

Well done!! Appreciate the videos! Travel safe, sir!

[@agent807]

I was heading to St. Louis last year and I had the 'wonderful' pleasure of circumnavigating I-465 in Indy when there were several construction projects taking place. This was because the interchanges between I-70 and I-65 through the city were being rebuilt and this was the detour. Managed to get a small tour of Indy's southern suburbs and a drive through the airport.

[@fgjr96way]

It very interesting they put all US and State routes along the Beltway along with i-74 and future i-69 next, nice drive but outside the Beltway the Metro Area will probably grow more

[@xijaomao]

What sucks about them is they create a wall around a city that is hard to cross on foot or bike, even when they do add long ass crosswalks like at 7:02. I kind of like diverting through-traffic, especially truck traffic away from the city centres. I think that is important and in a way fits my pro-cyclist and pedestrian attitudes as it takes away that noisy, polluting, and dangerous traffic from the centre.

[@Cripleclarence_1948]

If I'm headed South on I-75, unless it's early on a weekend, I'll always take 275 West around Cincinnati. Then take KY 237 and KY 536 back to I-71/75 South.

[@jord1856]

I-270 is nice for circumnavigating the traffic through Columbus during peak times, particularly the bottleneck on I-670 near downtown

[@fromthehaven94]

Except for the Northside between Dublin and Westerville.

[@lauscho]

Even my own city is kind of making its own beltway. Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. In the 70s and 80s we built our Southwest and Northeast Bypasses, in the 90s, our Southeast Bypass, and most recently, the Maley Drive extension which serves as a Northwest Bypass. Just gotta fix up a Northeast Bypass and we're good!

[@JamieElli]

My hometown of about 6,000 people has a quarter of a ring road. It's just a state highway, but it keeps trucks out of most of town. A ring road really works best if you get rid of all or most of the highways inside of it. Because the point of it is to keep traffic and roads out of the city, you shouldn't have a faster road cutting right through downtown.

[@fgjr96way]

Texas done the right way with traffic conditions

[@cantgetright742]

I live in a small town and we have an outer loop. It’s a bypass for the main highway, broadway of America. It also keeps trucks from driving in town. They can just go around and keep going 55-65.

[@michaelgeisert289]

Great video! Charlottesville VA has been trying to do a ring road for ages. We had one close in that was canceled because it would have been next to 3 schools that had been built in the mean time. An ‘eastern’ bypass would go through historic areas and some big money land…so a no go. Now we just have a crazy stroad where the speed limit is 45 but people do 65-70 and cut lanes like idiots. Good times.

[@jliller]

Like a lot of things, ring roads are great IF part of good urban planning.

[@DavidBeserock]

Urban planning goes out the window as local government allows massive growth along the beltway

[@drescherjm]

In Pittsburgh we have multiple belts that basically circle the city each have a color associated with them. I live near the yellow belt. I believe all of the belts are just 2 lane roads which are for the most part not highway roads.

[@trewells]

Very informative video. I relocated to Atlanta from Southern California about 20 years ago. The 285 beltway is one that I try to avoid. You are correct about the outer perimeter that they thought about building. I first heard about it maybe about 10 years ago. The problem is that mentality of “not in my backyard.” The ones who are against it fear that they’ll be more congestion coming out there. The congestion is already there. I see it is a way to alleviate the congestion on I 75, I 85 and GA 400. I don’t think it will ever be built. But it would definitely work.

[@Demopans5990]

It's the same complaint about any infrastructure project. Over in NYC, the 7 train extension into northeast Queens was vehemently opposed to by NIMBYs, claiming the subway would bring too much people. It is nearly 50 years since that proposal was shot down, and northeast Queens densified anyways, without the subway access. Now the bus terminals over at the current 7 train terminal are perpetually congested, and if there is anything people know about the buses, it is that they are never on time, unlike the subways which are at most 5 min late.

[@shaynewhite1]

Great video. I noticed all the examples of ring roads you gave are east of the Rockies. On the west coast, we do have "bypass" freeways but not ring roads that I know of. That would be an interesting follow-up video. I'm sure it's mostly due to geographic constraints.

[@akwu117]

this is well detailed data you provided. ATL desperately needs to revive that Rte. 500 plan. politicians just need to be authoritarian on some issues. that 470 ring in denver metro is not viable at all. they need a real metro ring that'll most likely cause demolition of multiple neighborhoods

[@jetta.josh4]

I love ring roads!

[@Nokose-360]

Beltways keep showing up because of the area's growth over the years, especially in Raleigh, and a few other cities

[@droid4d279]

Look at Houston biggest loops in the world

[@williamiwells]

I-840 has been a Godsend for those trying to go to W-S from GSO (coming from the N). It cuts down travel time than going US 29 down into GSO to get to 40W.

[@mitchelmodine9197]

those traffic shots scared me…I thought I was going to see some wrecks with how fast the cars were changing lanes 😮

[@i_am_gohan9232]

they built a bypass around rolesville, nc to louisburg, and henderson on up US-401 too, such a life saver.

[@kalielwebb3774]

Yo Mileage Mike! I stay in the Hampton Roads area. The only places that’s growing along that beltway is in Chesapeake and Suffolk. Everywhere else on that beltway is FULL 😂😂😂. Love your content bro! Keep them coming. ❤

[@fgjr96way]

it will be interesting how that area will be in 10 years from now of future i-87 "Chesapeake to Raleigh NC" being built.

[@jeffdavis2648]

Wow! Look at the Kentucky representation early in this video. Are you planning another trip back here, Mike? If so, wait til Spring

[@doridore1234]

Apparently Fairfax County Parkway is also a portion of an incomplete ring-road that was originally intended to be an "Outer Capital Beltway" around DC

[@andrewevans4947]

I had never seen so many loop highways as I have when I moved to East Texas. Practically every freaking “major” city like Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Paris, Carthage, Athens, Palestine, you name it, have em.

[@BCrossing]

I think ring roads work quite well when the long distance traffic is either forced onto streets (slow) or forced onto traffic jammed freeways (slow). They also divert cars away from the city so you can make more pedestrian-focused streets. The drawbacks include encouraging sprawl, but that's a different policy decision at that point, and it can be solved without banning ring roads. Another drawback is the jams might migrate to the ring road, making it redundant.

[@mattguey-lee4845]

On the Virginia side of DC there are 2 routes that serve the purpose of the ring roads. There's the Fairfax County Parkway which is in the alignment of the outer beltway. It's has several long sections of freeway with limited at grade intersections. Then there's VA-28 which has been upgraded to interstate standards between US-29 and VA-7. Both routes serve as effective bypasses around the core. The biggest issue is that Maryland doesn't want to build a bridge between Montgomery and Fairfax Counties.

[@Mapmaker1559]

As a (for now) Northern Virginian, I can say that VA-28 is effective, but the Fairfax County Parkway is not. I avoid the Fairfax County Parkway whenever possible. I do agree though that the lack of an Outer Potomac Crossing is a major issue for the greater region.

[@jasonreed7522]

One of the major factors in how effective a ring will be ad a bypass is how much the radial traffic flow is looking to turn. If half a the traffic on a northbound interstate is looking to turn east, then a ring will divert half of the traffic away from the core. But if 90% just wants to go straight through the metro, then a wide arcing ring road won't be of much use to those drivers. (Denver is in a north-south megalopolis so a ring doesn't help through traffic. In contrast Boston has multiple radials entering from the same side of the city so its 3 rings help divert a lot of traffic away from downtown) And rings are good for more than just highways, a transit system with multiple radial lines can free up capacity in the core by building a ring ling that connects the radials so people aren't funneled into 1 overcrowded hub.

[@browniefrownie]

Babe, wake up. New Mileage Mike dropped.

[@fgjr96way]

Its all about money and what the development will bring as more people to move to the area, business for trucks i-420 around Metro Atlanta in 2030, i-540 to future i-640 in Raleigh NC and future i-422 Birmingham AL Northern Beltline(not i-259 or i-659) Look out for i-840 in Nashville TN AND I-269 in Memphis TN, they are great to bypass a city 4 long distant travels but when a sleepy-small community town develops into a major city like Hoover AL, Franklin TN, or Southaven MS, cities go for that more money in that area and rural, farm life in the area will be gone and more traffic, seen this happen in my area along the i-275 Corridor when there was no Canton MI in the 70s. Great Job as always Mike👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ruckusbeblack]

5:50 am I getting old or am I hearing you say I-45??? I had to pause the video and rewind so many times. I-45 doesn’t run through Charlotte???

[@AuburnFanSince2010]

I still wished Richmond had a legit Beltway

[@jliller]

Yeah, I've always found it weird that 895+150 freeway just randomly ends and 288 doesn't line up with I-295. How did they screw that up twice?

[@fgjr96way]

i thought VA150, VA288 and VA 895 would be a good way for the Richmond Area

[@xijaomao]

7:02 Dang that's a stroad!

[@traffic.engineer]

Not really. A stroad has high commercial and residential development along its frontage. It is where a high speed arterial also tries to provide numerous access points to unmitigated development. Where it ends up failing at both efficiency and access. This road has limited access, this functioning arterial or collector.

[@Rockett16]

DFW has 3 Ring Roads. Loop 12/I-635/I-20, I-820/I-20 and beltline rd.

[@295g295]

12:01 - ...on I-95 at Pennsylvania into Delaware I-495 is a good choice to go south, beyond Wilmington.

[@edwardrhoads7283]

Interesting to note that Beijing, China has 6 ring roads.

[@roadgeek1961]

Funny you mentioned the Ross Clark Circle in Dothan. I was on it during Hurricane Milton made me evaluate Tampa Bay. A good topic would be US highways that connect Interstate corridors. Example US 301 between Ocala and Jacksonville. US 15 between Williamsport pa and Frederick Maryland. US 19 between Beckley and I 79 West Virginia. US 19 from Crystal River to I 10 in the Tallahassee area of Florida.

[@rickc303]

Atlanta needs an outer ring

[@colormedubious4747]

No, they do NOT. They need more transit.

[@omarrolle3842]

@@colormedubious4747I feel like we need a tolled outer ring like Orlando has to limit development along it

[@Mapmaker1559]

Atlanta didn't get its Northern Arc, but at least DC did. 😅

[@lukedeulen1830]

C-470 in Denver is useful when going to the airport when you're coming from south or north of Denver I will say, or when going to the outer suburbs.

[@carringtonpageiv6210]

Haha love the turnpike

[@wschmrdr]

One of my favorites is the Bennington Bypass, VT 279. Like many Vermont "highways", it's a super two (with hill lanes). They planned to do a third part of it connecting the east side to US 7 south, hence the curious half-SPUI at VT 9 East, though not sure if they'll do it, or keep US 7 traffic running through the city. Really nice rest area along it with plenty of overnight parking, though.

[@k4everut]

I live in Metro-Atlanta. My town is off the I-20, a few miles outside of the I-285 beltway. I think you are spot on with your negatives for ring roads. The I-285 is essentially just a parking lot during rush hour, and it causes more traffic for people approaching Atlanta from the I-20E and W and I-75/85 N and S. Despite having two lanes dedicated to the I-285 exchange and 2-4 additional lanes for I-20/I-75/I-85 through traffic, all of the lanes get backed up for miles by people trying to get onto the I-285 to "bypass" Atlanta. Since most of the (older) perimeter suburbs are along the I-285, a lot of the "bypass" traffic for people traveling through Atlanta from outside of the Metro is tied up by inside of the Metro going from one suburb to another. It's honestly quicker sometimes for folks switching from the I-20 to the I-75/85 or vice versa to just go into Atlanta and make the switch directly instead of using the I-285. I've traveled to and from the Atlanta area to other cities outside of the state dozens of times in the last 5 years, and the only time Google Maps has me take the beltway for I-20/I-75/I-85 exchange is before or after the rush hours.

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

The I-285 was built for the needs of the Atlanta in the 1990s when the Atlanta was filled with the Atlantans. Since then the Atlanta has been filled increasingly by more people from the California. After those people arrived, more people arrived. And after them even more people. Is it any wonder that the roads of the Atlanta are now parking lots and resemble the roads of the California, except with more Georgia pine trees around them?

[@fgjr96way]

I thought the MARTA trainline would help??

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

​@fgjr96way it doesnt servevthe whole metro area; suburban counties have their own systems. With Marta, persistent issues of poor management, poor service and safety (vagrants on the train and station) keep its use lower than it should be.

[@k4everut]

@WilliamAkins-rw2hv Let's not forget the lack of sufficient funds and support that contribute to MARTA woes and hinder the building of the outer loop also. The South is just as notorious for people complaining about terrible public services who don't want to contribute an extra penny in taxes, as it is for trusting private businesses to serve the public with no guardrails that end up just serving themselves. There doesn't seem to be a good balance between the private sector and government that benefits the people. Georgia is better at this than most other Southern states, though. Hopefully, after the focus on the Beltline, Atlanta could work with suburbs willing to extend or connect to MARTA within their areas.

[@fgjr96way]

@@WilliamAkins-rw2hv I understand that is why more people rather drive to get where they are going

[@coreywilson6693]

I-435 circling Kansas City here in Missouri/Kansas is one of the longest beltways in the world.

[@cameraredeye3115]

TX 99 (Grand Parkway) around Houston: Get on my level, newbie.

[@fgjr96way]

nice with other by passes in the area i-670 i-470 and i-635

[@bosshogg337]

Forgot The Highway 6 FM1960 Partial ring in Houston

[@blaknoizee]

I see you leaving the Northstar Cafe in Westerville, OH good sir.

[@Anthony-nu5oc]

In any case, we need more public transit so that the roads aren’t jammed and we can all get to our destinations without waiting until next Christmas.

[@dakillaklown715]

2 cities that NEED a belt way are Milwaukee and Nashville. The Milwaukee belt way could also theoretically circle Chicago too.

[@fgjr96way]

I-494 plan was killed in the 70s freeway revolts around Downtown Chicago so most use i-80 to i-39 to get to Madison WI , Minneapolis MN or points west

[@EdAirhead]

A ring road is important in published plans on how to evacuate Houston before a big hurricane. Graduates of Rice University should take Interstate 45 north. Graduates of University of Texas should take Interstate 10 west. Graduates of Texas A&M University (the agriculture school) should take Interstate 610, the ring road.

[@R_C420]

It's just a great way to get around town.

[@Ixodiusixi]

Rarely have to travel out of the quadrant of the " loop" still have access to the inner town and the mix country / city living with a couple acres here.

[@Zicologo]

FYI The Santa Cruz, Bolivia rings are mostly two lane roads, not highways.

[@ryansliwinski]

thank you mileage mike

[@UHaulShorts]

Austin TX Tag 130 aint so much of a ring without a continuation west a I-35. Thurrz a clusta between route 45 & 1 which staps on the southwestern end

[@JaySmith-pv2mw]

I all I know is I hope I never have to drive anywhere near Atlanta, DC, Houston or LA ever again.

[@RhymeKing]

I remember travelling from Indiana to Florida back in 2016, traffic was a nightmare along Interstate 75. I'm talking jammed up.

[@Rylie214]

Dallas has 3 inner beltways, Loop 12, I-635, and a surface rd, Belt Line Rd. A fourth outer loop that isn’t fully completed is President George bush Turnpike.

[@georgeford6439]

I don't think it was mentioned but if it's an interstate loop it's a 3 digit # with even #'s being complete loops and odd #'s being incomplete loops. Although some look complete as in I-285 in ATL or I-635 in big D, they are connected with local roads or state highways. Being a map and geography buff, I always ❤ ur videos!!

[@traffic.engineer]

Even first digit in its simplest form meant it connects two Interstates (ring or connector). Odd first digit meant it only connects to an Interstate from one end (spur).

[@fgjr96way]

i know freeway revolts killed a lot of projects in the 70s especially Baltimore MD and I think the same happened with i-635 in Dallas TX area

[@josephcruz7760]

0:23 murdadaleeee 😭🔥

[@willp.8120]

I-285 is an intra urban loop. Hardly a bypass these days.

[@Jwilk21]

I’m from Lexington and it threw me off seeing it mentioned in the video lol.

[@HoodAdventures]

Dothan is in Alabama not Texas.

[@poppajodice]

There were some talks of another ring, partial ring around omaha, ne

[@kalebrhea5822]

Why put the toll on the ring road? Wouldn’t a toll on the through road make more money and encourage people going through the area to use the ring road? I don’t get why the profit is trying to be made on the less busy and inconvenient route

[@dontknowjoe6603]

I heard what he said about the malls being near the loop. He is right about one of the two malls in my area, which is Youngstown Warren area. Our mall for Youngstown is in Boardman. I’ll give it to him about this our loop interstate that causes it goes near it, but it does not actually near our loop now ask for Warren it’s near the loop kind of

[@dontknowjoe6603]

Ohio if anyone is wondering and no one put only in Ohio jokes down below my comment, please

[@darrenchambers3042]

Did you ever drive Beltline Rd in Dallas?

[@ace20016]

Tolled FL417 & FL429 didn’t limit suburban growth in Orlando metropolitan area. But then again, if you’re from Central Florida, you’re condition to using the tolled roads. -Lifelong Cocoa, FL resident 45+ minutes east of Orlando

[@fgjr96way]

People love Florida expect more suburban growth especially along the i-4 Corridor

[@kiefferciullo8561]

As a professional truck driver, I can confirm that I-285 in Atlanta sucks. The west bypass is on average marginally better than the east bypass, but depending on the time of day, and if there are any accidents (which are common), it sucks either way. In the middle of the night, traffic does usually flow somewhat smoothly. If you hit it at rush hour, you are so screwed!

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

Keiffercriullo, I'm an Atlanta resident/native. Yes, it sucks. I live near and use the east bypass but I avoid it during rush hour. I have been wondering this: if truckers were allowed to go straight through the city on 75/85 from 12 am to 6 am, how many do you think would alter their trip plan to do that?

[@fgjr96way]

Amazing they have that Big Truck Stop off of i-285 on the westside of Atlanta that can be crowed any time of the day

[@WilliamAkins-rw2hv]

@@fgjr96way I didn't know about it but I'm sure it helps. We could use one of those about 15 - 20 miles out in each direction on 75 & 85.

[@kiefferciullo8561]

@@fgjr96way I know the place. It's the Petro on Hallowell Parkway. I've been there many times.

[@kiefferciullo8561]

@@WilliamAkins-rw2hv I don't know. If that were to be the case, I would depending on which direction I was going. It would also help to allow trucks to go straight through on I-20 in the early hours too.

[@fgjr96way]

Thanks!

[@christopherjenkins7577]

Surprised no mention of Boston, which has two partial beltways due to proximity to the ocean. Route 128 I believe was the first highway built for that purpose and I-495 also serves as essentially the Merrimack Valley Expressway.

[@fgjr96way]

that i-495 is a great way to surround the whole Boston Metro Area and i-95 as well around Boston

[@nunyabidness3075]

The ring road is a patch to fix the mistake of letting the Feds build an interstate too close to your city in the first place. Just spitballing, but would it make sense to delete the interstates inside the ring road?

[@themasterjay7189]

3:19 Hometown mentioned!

[@manoz6194]

I wonder which ring road is closest to a perfect circle?

[@jliller]

Dothan probably.

[@texasmyke3686]

Longview TX @2:55

[@rob_nsn]

I came away from this video with the question: which cities in the United States have made major investments into ring freeways and then seen a sustained reduction in congestion on inner freeways? When it comes to the claim that "ring roads ease congestion on inner city freeways", I get the concept in theory but I haven't seen any evidence in practice. Congestion doesn't flow like water; as I understand it, introducing higher-capacity roads tends to induce more trips rather than ease congestion. Lots of civil and traffic engineers will treat those additional trips as "inevitable", but as we know from 70 years of evidence, that's not how transportation investment works. If you build it they will come. I am genuinely curious about any real-life examples that would disprove my thinking on this, though!

[@Chinemeremdozie]

There used to be 2 malls near the DC ring road but they sadly were abandoned

[@Mapmaker1559]

Which ones were those? There are still a couple malls along the Capital Beltway.

[@Chinemeremdozie]

@Mapmaker1559 landover mall and white flint mall also fun fact when white flint closed everyone called it black flint

[@bluelivesmurder5696]

As a native ATLien, we DESPERATELY need an outer perimeter. And I mean like yesterday.

[@fgjr96way]

Atlanta the new Houston TX of the Southeast

[@willp.8120]

Yes

[@njv1234]

I r really want to see SR23 become a crescent ring around Jacksonville, with a northwest arc going from i10 up to i95 near Callahan so we can avoid the issues that came to Atlanta. Jacksonville is the new Atlanta by the sea BTW, remember this! 😂

[@fgjr96way]

I heard Duvall County and surrounding areas is growing

[@CJ3WT]

🍺 = Ring Road 😂😂😂😂 JK. Great video Mike.

[@kevinw-fishwhisperer]

Whoa Mike - Ab a lene. Thank you

[@forrestmcclure5016]

GREENSBORO MENTION 😤

[@RooiGevaar19]

Ring roads are a great thing, but they can't be an off-course addition to main highways - they have to be the main highways, like in Berlin, where A10 Berliner Ring consists of several main roads forming a trapezium-shaped ring, and there are separate highways/roads for entering the city (like A115) - or like in London, where M25 ring makes most of their motorways' end to make the transit use the ring, so they can't shortcut e.g. from Coventry to Dover through London. There are some motorways that end somewhere in the middle of London, and there are more entrances to the city, but no urban motorways were built (with a handful of exceptions).

[@fgjr96way]

I heard that Europe has boundary-hand off areas where developers cant build, is that true.

[@RooiGevaar19]

@@fgjr96way to some extent, yes. In my home region, the local governmental planners drew plans for future roads in the region, so all developers were cautious about building next to those planned roads' corridors (like, they build some houses and in 5-10 years they get demolished, it's not worth it). However, urban sprawl does exist, especially in my Eastern European region, I live 20 miles from the main city, and almost all arable lands within this radius are about to be taken over by developers. 20 years ago my village had 2,000 inhabitants and cultivated our national minority's culture, now it's a fricking town without any culture, and 5000 -immigrants- inhabitants. At least we have a train station and some bus lines to move around, but they are struggling because of all those SUVs severely congesting our 2-lane roads.

[@williethomas9953]

Never knew that ring roads were a thing. But I guess that makes sense being from Detroit. Bypass routes yes.

[@Mapmaker1559]

Detroit's freeway grid is definitely more cardinal than circumferential. Seems to work well though from my experience.

[@fgjr96way]

we cant make one because of the Detroit river and Canada, Outer Drive is a ring road and so is Grand Blvd around Downtown

[@sawyertuide7636]

My favorite kind of ring road are airport ring roads If you can’t find the exit in cities such as Dallas you’ll be stuck in it for 30 mins 😂😂

[@detroitcoffeeartdetroit6502]

Ring roads a high density area are great

[@stevenroshni1228]

11:05 no rant about the planned incorrect interstate numbering ?

[@stevenpugsley2542]

Philadelphia: the city without a beltway. Just a bunch of bypass roads that when strung together kinda form a ring, but not at all a beltway.

[@fgjr96way]

heard they had more freeways planned but the revolts of the 70s killed that