The project includes the design of a 14 foot wide concrete multi-use path and extending approximately 3.1 miles from the I-75 underpass to the end of the interim Southside Trail at Bill Kennedy Way. Additional site elements included planting, lighting, retaining walls, vertical connections to adjoining streets, storm drainage, signage/wayfinding, and the replacement and rehabilitation of several bridges. The design also included streetscape/accessibility improvements on all intersecting streets extending from the Corridor to the nearest intersection or one-quarter mile, whichever was closest.
The Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) is available for viewing here. The report, part of an EPA grant, provides information about any contamination found on site and alternatives for cleaning up any the contamination.
Project Status
- The Southside Trail has project has been broken into six segments.
- Segment 1, originally called Southside Trail – West project, is completed and now open to the public as a paved trail.
- Funds from the Special Service District (SSD), along with federal funding, will cover the remaining phases of the Southside Trail:
- Work on Segments 4 and 5 (between Boulevard and Glenwood Avenue) is expected to be bid in the summer of 2022, with construction mobilizing by fall of 2022.
- Segments 2 and 3 (nearly 2 miles between Pittsburgh Yards and Boulevard) will follow with a bid date expected in summer of 2023. The City and ABI applied for a FY21 USDOT RAISE grant in July 2021 for $22 million to support construction of these segments. The cost to construct these segments will be covered by SSD funding. Federal grants will also be used for Segments 2 and 3.
- The drawings for the Southside Trail are at 90% complete and work is in progress to align and confirm budgets and bring the drawings to 100% complete.
- Once design is complete, ABI will need to permit the work, and advertise and contract with a contractor before construction can commence.
- Early preparatory projects will include the relocation of utilities in the corridor, and soil remediation work. We are in the final stages of executing contracts with GDOT, City of Atlanta, and Verizon for fiber relocation projects and expect to start fiber relocation before the end of 2021.
- In July 2020, ABI completed an emergency demolition of the southside corridor bridge over United Avenue. A permanent bridge will be installed as part of trail construction, which is expected to start in 2022 and will require closure of full segments of the trail. Please see this blog post for detour options to navigate the trail around the stairs.
Project Timeline
Last Updated: September 9, 2021
