Metropolitan regions worldwide increasingly rely on ring roads to redistribute traffic, support mobility, and reduce urban congestion. However, persistent congestion despite significant investment raises questions about their long-term effectiveness under sustained demand growth and rising freight activity. This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of ring roads in reducing congestion, using Atlanta’s Interstate 285 (I-285) as a case study. A quantitative panel data approach is employed, using multi-year traffic data across I-285 stations (2014–2024). A two-way fixed effects (TWFE) regression model examines the relationship between traffic volume (AADT), freight composition (truck percentage), and congestion cost. Congestion is measured using Total Daily Congestion Cost (TDC), which converts travel delay into economic impact using value-of-time estimates for passenger and freight vehicles. The findings indicate that ring roads do not inherently guarantee sustained congestion reduction. Congestion on I-285 is primarily driven by increases in traffic demand and freight activity, with significant spatial variation across roadway segments. No strong evidence of long-term improvement is observed, suggesting that I-285 functions as a congestion accumulation corridor rather than a consistent relief mechanism under high-demand conditions. The results further show that capacity expansion alone is insufficient without complementary operational and policy interventions. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical, corridor-level evidence using an integrated econometric and economic-impact framework. The findings offer actionable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the need for freight management, demand control, and intelligent transportation systems to improve mobility in growing metropolitan regions.