There is plenty of undeveloped land that people don't move to because there are no roads to get to.
We have more than a century of data showing that roads are subject to induced demand. If you build more roads, people move and sprawl (and take more trips in general) until traffic is once again unbearably bad.
If you build more lanes, more people move further out. Roads create sprawl.
People build outwards first and then upwards.