On February 17, 2020, construction crews will install security fencing and officially close the western portion of the Southside Trail in order to begin early construction activities. The unpaved trail will be closed at the paved southern terminus of the Westside Trail, the concrete access point at University Avenue, the stairs at Metropolitan Avenue, and west of the stairs at Pryor Road. The closure will extend between University Avenue and Pryor Road, so trail users will need to exit the corridor and use sidewalks along surface streets between the two locations.
Signs will be posted at closed locations.
This 0.75-mile segment, called Southside Trail-West, will remain closed while Astra Group builds out the multi-use trail. Work will include a 14-foot-wide concrete trail; gravel path at Allene Avenue; a new pedestrian bridge, an ADA-accessible ramp, and pedestrian signal and crosswalk at Metropolitan Parkway; lights and security cameras; utility relocations, environmental remediation of the corridor; stormwater infrastructure; granite retaining walls; and full landscaping.
A groundbreaking celebration was held on January 22, 2020, and we are excited to announce this next step towards bringing the Atlanta BeltLine to south Atlanta. Thanks to everyone for your continued patience as we are under construction!
A map of the closure would be helpful for those of us who need to re-route along surface streets, thanks.
Hi Sarah, you can connect between the Westside Trail and Southside Trail by using University Avenue and Pryor Road. I just added in a map to the post.
Thanks!
How long should we anticipate construction to last?
It should be approximately a year.
Are there parts of the unpaved trail that are still open for access? A map would be great!
Hi Katie, I’ve added in a map that shows the closed area in purple and the interim trail in grey. Please note that the purple denotes the extent of construction, but we will close the trail at Pryor Road since that’s the last place to get off of the corridor before the construction zone if coming from the east.
I am hearing the wooden stairs giving access from Metropolitan will be removed. However is a great access point for the trail. Will they be removed?
Hi Johnny, yes the temporary stairs will be removed. That section is now under construction and, when complete, the stairs will be replaced by a new ramp on the other side of Metropolitan up to the trail. Pedestrian signalization will be installed to help cross Metropolitan and a new bridge built for the multi-use trail on the northern side of the former railroad bridge.
Thanks!
Jenny
Hello! I’m excited about the updates on the Southside Beltline-West. I notice this post was pre-COVID. Has the project’s timeline been affected due to the pandemic?
Hello, the project timeline has not been impacted by the pandemic. Construction continues on the western segment and design continues on the remainder of the trail. Thanks! Jenny
Thanks so much for this update! Very helpful!
It would be great if this info (the location of the closure) could be added to the main beltline map, or even the Southside trail part of the website – just because it’s hard to find this information. I had to google it, and found this post. I had heard construction had began, months ago, but since I couldn’t figure out where, I have avoided area: who wants to waste time to go somewhere only to find out it’s closed. If I was single with no kids, not a problem, but lugging kids around you have to be VERY intentional.
Thanks again for this info! Please consider adding this kind of information to the main beltline map, or even just the soutside specific part of the website.
Hi Jesse – we have map updates as well as design + construction updates to the website in progress. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi. It would be helpful for closed sections of the trail to be shown on the “master” map view, too: menu/map/show on map/. If you look at the BeltLine through this navigation, the entire trail appears open. Thank you.
Hi D.J. – you’re right, we’ll look at updating the map. Thank you!
Hello – just wondering if the trail is still closed at this time? I saw the original post was from February 2020 and in the comments it states it will be “about a year” before it’s reopened. If it’s still closed – is there a revised date when it should reopen?
Hi Wes, this segment of the Southside Trail (Segment 1 or “West”) is anticipated to be open in late summer. We publish a monthly blog post with design and construction updates in addition to maintaining this dedicated webpage for up-to-date info: https://beltline.org/2021/03/04/southside-trail-segment-1-west-segment/
Thanks! ~Jenny
Hi. Are there plans to paved the remainder of the Southside trail? Thanks!
Hi Michael, yes, there are plans to pave the entire 22-mile loop of the Atlanta BeltLine, including the remainder of the Southside Trail. You can read about the timeline here: https://beltline.org/2021/03/04/southside-trail-segments-2-3-4-5/
Thanks,
Jenny