2024 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan

The Atlanta region is growing. According to the ARC 21-County Dashboard, Metro Atlanta’s population will increase to 8.63 million people (a 38% increase) with the number of jobs also increasing to 3.87 million (a 24% increase) by the year 2050 (ARC 21-County Dashboard, 2022 update). As the Atlanta region experiences massive growth over the next 25 years, so will the demand for freight. With this in mind, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is proactively embarking on the 2024 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan to manage the freight movement across the region and ensure efficient investments in freight transportation infrastructure.

Traffic is increasing on the nation’s roadways, railways, ports, and waterways because of growing freight demand. Today, new industrial development, e-commerce growth, and continued supply chain disruptions influence the performance of the region’s transportation network and potential economic gains from the logistics industry. Due to these issues, it is even more important that freight considerations are proactively integrated into policy and infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable freight movement across our intermodal system.

Enhancements to freight transportation systems serve to maintain and improve competitiveness and economic growth in the region. ARC has been strategically focused on freight issues for the last two decades. In that time, ARC has overseen the award-winning 2008 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan, the 2010 Atlanta Strategic Truck Route Master Plan, the 2016 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan Update, and the 2018 Atlanta Regional Truck Parking Assessment Study. In 2019, ARC began working with local partners on Freight Cluster Plans in areas with significant industrial development. Continuing this strategic focus on freight, ARC is now working to deliver the 2024 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan.

Plan Purpose

The primary purpose of the 2024 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan is to:

Assess the current plan against the latest understanding of existing freight conditions and latest federal, state, and regional policies
Support the development of an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) compliant Metropolitan Transportation Plan as it relates to any applicable freight provisions
Identify projects of national, state, and regional significance

Draft Plan Goals

Safety: Improve the safety and security of the regional freight system and its users
Operations: Enhance the operations of the freight network
Economy: Acknowledge and support key industries and their positive impact on the regional economy
Sustainability and Resiliency: Create a more sustainable and resilient network that incorporates innovative tools and technologies
Quality of Life: Leverage freight to enhance the quality of life for all people in the metro Atlanta region
Integrated Planning: Ensure the consideration of freight in broader transportation and land use planning processes

Schedule

The study is anticipated to take approximately 24 months, concluding in fall of 2024. See below for a snapshot of scheduled plan activities:

Graphic showing a vertical line with dots noting study activities

Image Caption: Study Activities: Stakeholder Engagement (September 2022 – October 2024); Economic Development Analysis (October 2022 – August 2023); Goals and Objectives (January 2023 – August 2023); Design Guide and Truck Parking Ordinance (February 2024 – June 2024); County and Regional Data Summary (March 2024 – July 2024); Plan Recommendations and Final Plan (January 2024 – October 2024)