The End of Detroit... [Plan to widen I-94, I-75]

[Bham1982]

Tell that to the folks in Atlanta. Try not to be embarrassed when they laugh their asses off.

Atlantans believe that smaller freeways have more carrying capacity than larger freeways? Is there something in the water down in GA?

[ghettopalmetto]

Atlantans believe that smaller freeways have more carrying capacity than larger freeways? Is there something in the water down in GA?

This thread concerns three phenomenon:

1. Roadway Capacity
2. Roadway Demand
3. Congestion [[actual speed of traffic relative to free-flowing speed)

I think you have, somehow and without cause, established in your mind that there is:

A) an inverse relationship between Capacity and Congestion.
B) an inverse relationship between Demand and Congestion.

If the growth of Demand outstrips the growth of capacity [[as is *exactly* what happened in Atlanta after Freeing the Freeways), then Congestion increases. Except now, you have even more congestion than before the increase in capacity took place. For example, the Perimeter Freeway in Atlanta used to be six lanes until the 1980s. Now, it is twelve lanes of congestion.