Project Receives Authorization from Federal Highway Administration to Proceed with Construction Bidding;
Final design complete and right-of-way acquired by June 30 deadline
Atlanta – On June 30, the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail project reached a major project milestone. Working with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the City of Atlanta and a team of design and engineering consultants led by Kimley-Horn & Associates, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) met the federal deadline of June 30 to complete final design and land acquisition for the multi-use trail in southwest Atlanta. By meeting this deadline, the $18 million TIGER V grant for the $43 million Westside Trail, is now secure for the project’s implementation. In just nine months, ABI and its partners executed a complex process of design, land acquisition, environmental clearance and other approvals by the state and federal governments that often exceeds 24 months for projects of this magnitude.
“I want to thank Secretary Foxx and the US DOT for their continuing commitment to the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “As a recipient of one of the largest TIGER V grants in the country, we are pleased to have met the extraordinary schedule requirements set by the federal government. We are looking forward to breaking ground on the Westside Trail project this fall. I commend Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Departments of Planning and Public Works for their exceptional teamwork on this project of national significance.”
“Meeting this deadline was a Herculean lift, and we could not have accomplished it without the outstanding leadership and support of GDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and the PATH Foundation,” said Paul Morris, President and CEO of ABI. “This is the level of performance and execution demanded by this project, which is bringing unprecedented investment into southwest Atlanta.”
“We are proud to be an integral part of the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail project and would like to recognize our partners from the US DOT, the City, and the Atlanta BeltLine who worked so hard to reach this deadline,” said GDOT Commissioner Keith Golden. “This is a great achievement for all of us, most importantly for the citizens of Georgia, and we look forward to continuing to work together to complete the Westside Trail.”
In September 2013, the City of Atlanta was awarded an $18 million TIGER V grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, representing nearly half of the funding required to build the $43 million multi-use Atlanta BeltLine trail in southwest Atlanta. In addition to the $18 million TIGER V grant and $15 million of other state and local funding, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is leading a $10 million private fundraising effort.
Upon completion, the 3-mile trail will run from University Avenue in Adair Park north to Lena Street at Washington Park. For a half mile along White Street, the trail will use the existing West End Trail. Design renderings from the recently completed design process are available online at beltline.org.
3 thoughts on this article. Join the discussion below