Eastside Trail Construction Update – Dedication Scheduled Oct 15

The Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail is progressing every day and is almost ready to welcome the public. This new 2.25-mile long section of the Atlanta BeltLine, running from Irwin St. to 10th St. and Monroe Dr., connects the neighborhoods of Virginia Highland, Midtown, Poncey Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. This section of trail also connects Piedmont Park to Freedom Park and Historic Fourth Ward Park and Skatepark – and connects to the PATH Foundation trail running from Stone Mountain to downtown.

The official dedication for the new trail will be held on Monday, October 15 at 10 a.m. It will also be featured as part of the Art on the Atlanta BeltLine exhibit, which starts on the evening of September 8 with the Krewe of the Grateful Glutton’s Lantern Parade and ends on November 11. In addition, the trail will be part of the route for Atlanta Streets Alive on October 7.

During the month of September and beyond, crews will still be working on sections of the trail, including concrete, hand rails, retaining walls and slope containment. Art for the Art on the Atlanta BeltLine exhibit will also be installed in September. Landscaping will get started in mid-fall with the planting of new trees; there will be volunteer opportunities to work with Trees Atlanta to plant these new trees, which will be part of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum. Landscaping will continue into the spring with the planting of native species of flora.

Please be mindful that construction crews are active and the trail is not yet finished. There are still sections of concrete that need to be poured or fixed, and some intersection improvements (specifically 10th and Monroe  and Lake and Irwin) are still works in progress. While construction is active, anyone who uses the trail does so at their own risk.

The PATH Foundation is the construction manager for this project and Astra Group is the contractor. Trees Atlanta is funding and supervising the planting of new trees for the Arboretum. Funding for the trail was provided by Kaiser Permanente, Jim and Sarah Kennedy, and the Atlanta BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD).

This is the first phase of development for this corridor which will eventually contain all of the elements of the Atlanta BeltLine vision – pedestrian-friendly transit, a multi-use trail, greenspace and connectivity with surrounding developments and neighborhoods. This is also the first section of the old rail corridor to be developed. As part of the project, significant underground infrastructure was installed before work on the trail itself began. This work included a utility duct bank that will help carry power for lighting and transit as well as current and future utilities that use the corridor; retaining walls to maintain the width of the corridor for both transit and trails; the installation of a new bridge for the trail over Ralph McGill Blvd, and the remediation and rehabilitation of the historic rail bridge over Ponce de Leon Ave.

There will be another update in the coming weeks announcing the end of heavy construction.

Map of Eastside Trail
Map of the Eastside Trail with access points. See the full interactive map here.

 

13 thoughts on this article. Join the discussion below

  1. It’s exciting that this section of the beltline is almost finished! A lot of us are looking forward to the experience and access by bike. Right now the bridge across Ponce de Leon Av is fenced on the North side. When will the fence come down? When will it be accessible?

    1. As written above, this is an active construction site. We will make an announcement here when heavy construction is finished. Thank you.

  2. We rode our bikes on the path last Sunday, from Irwin to Piedmont Park — fantastic! This project is really going to transform the city. Here’s my question: will there be any way to access the commercial areas between Ponce de Leon and Monroe — Whole Foods, Home Depot, Midtown Landmark Theater, Trader Joes, all that — from the Beltline? Thanks!

  3. Fabulous project! I’ve been really impressed.

    Question: Is there any timeline for paving the portion that runs along Piedmont Park?

    1. As of today, there are a couple ways to get to the park from the trail. One way is via the skatepark, proceed to Willoughby Way then take a right onto Ashley and a left onto Ralph McGill. The other way is to exit the trail at Angier Springs, turn left onto Somerset Ter. then left onto North Ave. Within the next few years, a connection between the park and the trail will be constructed just south of the Masquerade music park.

  4. Not once does it mention the Official Dedication location of the October 15th, 10am event.

    That would be appreciated, and pertinent information.
    🙂
    Can’t wait for 10th to Ansley to be completed! Never stop growing!

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