If you are looking for a decrease in traffic anytime soon, don’t be expecting any good news. According to a new article by Channel 2 WSB-TV, population in the metro Atlanta area is expected in increase by 2.5 million in the next few years. The epicenter of growth is intended to be in the northern region above Atlanta, primarily in Forsyth County, the Suwanee area, and North Fulton. The metro Atlanta range already has about 6 million people, and with this added growth, more and more housing is in the process of being built already. In fact, experts are hypothesizing that Forsyth county’s population will double.
What is bringing all the new growth? “Jobs,” says Mike Carnathan of the Atlanta Regional Commission says simply. “To put this on perspective, that’s like moving all of metropolitan Charlotte [NC] to Atlanta,” reporter Robert Ray emphasizes. The number of jobs available in Atlanta is supposed to jump to 1.5 billion by the year 2040, with the majority in both the retail and health care industries.
So what about all that awful traffic that we are dreading? Apparently, there is an $85 billion plan to expand both public transportation and roadways in order to accommodate this many people. Here’s hoping your commute won’t increase as well!