Nothing comes without a price, and the cost of having a Major League Baseball stadium in your backyard is, according to a new study, the addition of 20,000 to 28,500 extra cars a day in an already congested area of Cobb County. The report, filed with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority earlier this week, optimistically points out that the mixed-use area around the stadium will ease the impact of the traffic by encouraging fans to show up early and stay late rather than getting into their cars all at once. It also admits that the new home of the Braves will, in fact, worsen traffic at most intersections around it. Obviously. Jammed up roads + 20,000 or so amped up baseball fans = a long-ass wait for regular commuters.
For reference, the cavernous parking garages beneath Atlantic Station hold 7,200 cars, Hartsfield-Jackson's rental car center lots hold 9,900 and the Georgia Dome's four lots hold 4,300. On a busy game day, it'll be like having every car from Atlantic Station, the Georgia Dome and the airport's rental car center descending on Cobb County like a swarm of Cracker Jack-eating locusts. Hope you like baseball, Cobb County. Really, REALLY like baseball.
· Study: New Braves stadium to add 20,000 cars to Cobb traffic [AJC - Subscriber paywall]
· Braves study predicts 28,500 new vehicles at sold-out game day [The Marietta Daily Journal]
· First Glimpse: The New Cobb County Home Of The Braves [Curbed Atlanta]
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