Atlanta Beltline Southwest Connector Trail Groundbreaking to be held January 12

One-mile spur trail will eventually connect to the Atlanta BeltLine as part of 33-Mile Trail Network

ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed will lead the groundbreaking for the Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Connector Trail on Saturday, January 12 at 9:30 a.m. next to Beecher Hills Elementary School. This new one-mile spur trail will be part of the 33-mile network of Atlanta BeltLine trails, and will eventually connect to the 22-mile Atlanta BeltLine in the Westview neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. The spur trail winds through a serene stretch of woods, originating at the existing Lionel Hampton Trail and emerging onto Westwood Avenue. With connections between the Beecher Hills and Westwood Terrace neighborhoods, the trail will allow for improved access to Beecher Hills Elementary School.

“As we start a new year, it is exciting to mark another chapter of progress for the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “Once again, it is through strong partnerships that we are able to deliver this transformative project that has citywide impact.”

The PATH Foundation is managing the design and construction and has already started clearing ground for the project. The Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Connector Trail is funded by City of Atlanta Park Improvement Bonds along with $200,000 from the PATH Foundation. The Department of Watershed Management provided a critical easement for the trail.

The Southwest Connector Trail, along with the Eastside Trail, the West End Trail and the Northside Trail, will bring the total of permanent trails to nearly seven miles along and near the Atlanta BeltLine corridor.

The Southwest Connector Trail Groundbreaking ceremony will be held behind Beecher Hills Elementary School located at 2257 Bollingbrook Drive, 30311. Parking is available in the school’s parking lot. More information about transportation and parking at the event is available online at the Atlanta BeltLine website.

More than 100,000 people live within half a mile of the Atlanta BeltLine, which connects 45 of the city’s neighborhoods. According to a Health Impact Assessment conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2007, the Atlanta BeltLine’s 1,300 acres of parks, 33 miles of trails, $45 million in streetscape and intersection improvements, and the expansion of transit creates the opportunity for vulnerable populations to become physically active. The redevelopment will give 11,000 residents direct access for the first time to a park, and it will connect an additional 127,000 people to transit. As a result, it will improve access to employment opportunities, services, healthy foods, and recreational facilities.