Eastside Trail Extension construction update

The final leg of the Eastside Trail between Kirkwood Avenue and Memorial Drive through Reynoldstown is looking very close to completion! Which has many of you asking – why aren’t the construction fences down yet?? Below are several key updates.

The Eastside Trail where it crosses Kirkwood Avenue. Photo credit: John Becker.
The Eastside Trail where it crosses Kirkwood Avenue. Photo credit: John Becker.

The multi-use trail itself is substantially complete. We need to complete the pedestrian plaza at Memorial Drive and install safety handrails on the bridge over Fulton Street / Mauldin Drive before opening to the public.

Connecting paths to Mauldin Street and Golden Eagle are being installed this week. 

We at Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. continue to work with GDOT on our permit for work in Memorial Drive. As a reminder, this work will include a pedestrian plaza (where the trail meets the road), pedestrian improvements (crosswalk, signal heads), signal timing, extending the duct bank under the street, and tying into stormwater systems. Once the permit is in hand, that work is expected to take approximately 3-4 weeks. It will require partial closures of Memorial Drive. We will have a community meeting with more info at that time. 

The Eastside Trail where it meets Memorial Drive as seen in April 2019. A pedestrian plaza will be built here. Photo credit: John Becker.
The Eastside Trail where it meets Memorial Drive as seen in April 2019. A pedestrian plaza will be built here. Photo credit: John Becker.

The work on Memorial Drive is in coordination with the milling and paving work being funded and managed by GDOT and completed by contractor C.W. Matthews and with the work underway at Madison Yards. 

Currently, there is a temporary sidewalk poured at the southeast corner of the Memorial Drive and Bill Kennedy Way intersection. A larger plaza will be built out at this corner. This will complement our plaza on the northern side of Memorial Drive. This intersection will have a pedestrian scramble to allow trail users to cross in any direction.

The southeast corner of Memorial Drive and Bill Kennedy Way where the Atlanta BeltLine meets Madison Yards. A pedestrian plaza will be built here. Photo credit: John Becker.
The southeast corner of Memorial Drive and Bill Kennedy Way where the Atlanta BeltLine meets Madison Yards. A pedestrian plaza will be built here. Photo credit: John Becker.

We had hoped to open the trail with a temporary access to Memorial Drive while we built the pedestrian plaza. However, with the issuance of the permit imminent, we will likely keep it closed until that work is completed (in addition to the work on handrails, connecting paths, and landscaping mentioned above). If possible, we will move ahead with opening that temporary access. 

All trees are in the ground and remaining plantings will be going in on April 22. 

Please stay tuned – we’ll be sure to let you know more as soon as we do!

2 thoughts on this article. Join the discussion below

  1. Need a no parking sign at the corner of maple street nw / western ave nw atlanta,ga. Because cars parked in the road and people’s trying go get out from the North point apartments the trying to start working on the belt line near northside drive nw and the city need speed bumper on maple street & western ave nw to keep cars from speeding down the streets need this a.s.a.p thanks

    1. Hello Beauford, we appreciate you submitting these observations. You can call 311 to request no parking signs and traffic calming devices, like road humps. Our team will also investigate and discuss with the design team, who are working under contract with the PATH Foundation. Please feel free to follow up directly with Kim Wilson (kwilson@atlbeltline.org) or the project manager Meghan Injaychock (minjaychock@atlbeltline.org).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *