The “wye” is the final portion of land needed to complete the Eastside Trail’s northern extent
ATLANTA – Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) has closed on the 13 acres of land remaining to complete the northeast corridor between Rock Springs Road, NE and Mayson Street, NE. The land, previously owned by Norfolk Southern, is the last remaining portion of corridor needed to complete the Eastside Trail up to the Armour area. Termed “the wye” due to its Y-shape, this section of inactive rail crosses over the Buford Spring Connector and under I-85 before connecting with Mayson Street.
The acquisition represents one more step toward completing the 22-mile BeltLine corridor loop around Atlanta and was made possible by the leverage of Transportation-Special Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) funds, championed by Mayor Kasim Reed, and overwhelmingly passed by Atlanta voters last November. The acquisition was also supported by The Conservation Fund, who provided a bridge loan for the transaction while the T-SPLOST funds are collected over a five-year period.
Brian McGowan, President and CEO of ABI, said of the acquisition: “Our partners at The Conservation Fund made this deal possible. In addition, Norfolk Southern worked with us on this complex transaction for a result to benefit everyone. Those partnerships, along with the support of the City and Atlanta voters who passed the T-SPLOST referendum, bring us closer to ‘closing the loop’ and bringing an equitable Atlanta BeltLine to the entire city.”
The wye provides a crucial 0.25 mile connection between the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail and the Armour area, a burgeoning job center for creative office and light industrial uses. The improved connectivity has the potential to fuel more creative-class jobs along the Atlanta BeltLine. Future northward extensions of the Atlanta BeltLine will also link the Armour area to Buckhead and the upcoming phases of the Path 400 trail.
Construction of the paved Atlanta BeltLine trail in this area will commence when design is complete and construction funds are secured. The segment between Montgomery Ferry Road and Mayson Street will remain closed to the public until further notice.
This is wonderful news but I have a comment about the recently-opened mile extension of the east Line Trail South of Irwin St.
A friend and I were recently walking on that section at night and found the lights particularly harsh. I would also think that it would be problematic for the residents who live in the new apartments or condos that have been built right next to it. It was such a pleasure to get back on the regular Trail North of Erwin with a dimmer lighting from surrounding businesses making the Ambiance much more enjoyable. I hope that a change can be made to make these lights more subdued yet still functional for safety.