Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: May 2022

Below you will find recent updates and photos of each of our Atlanta Beltline projects in construction or design along with links to get more general information about each project. Additionally, you can explore current design and construction projects via map and list view here. These projects play a pivotal role in furthering the Atlanta Beltline vision to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life.

All upcoming and past public meetings (still being held virtually) can be found at www.beltline.org/meetings. The second Quarterly Briefing will take place virtually on June 16 from 6 – 8 p.m. Click here to catch up on April’s design and construction updates.

Northeast Trail

• Northeast Trail – Segment 1: Design is at 30% for this segment, which runs from the northern end of the Eastside Trail to Westminster Drive. A 60% design package is expected in July.

• Northeast Trail – Segment 2: On June 1, the existing unpaved trail between the northern end of Piedmont Park and Ansley Mall will close for construction. The full segment runs between Westminster Drive in the south to Mayson Street in the north. The paved section of the trail will remain open while lighting is installed. The short, unpaved section to the north will remain open to trail users until construction commences on that segment. ABI will notify the public of trail closures on other sections as construction advances. Construction activities are expected to last approximately 16 months.

• Northeast Trail – Segment 3: The City of Atlanta and ABI are pursuing a US Department of Transportation Mega grant for approximately $70 million to support construction of Northeast Trail from Mayson Street to MARTA Lindbergh Center Station that will require crossing over or under existing MARTA heavy rail, Norfolk Southern freight rail, CSX freight rail, state highways and roads, and Peachtree Creek. Drawings for this section of trail are expected to be 60% complete in July.

• Details on each Northeast Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section: Segment 1, Segment 2, Segments 3.

  

  Silt fencing is installed along the Northeast Trail in preparation for construction. May 30, 2022. Photo by John Becker.

  

  The multi-use trail will be built in its permanent alignment in the eastern bay underneath Piedmont Avenue to accommodate future transit in the middle. April 21, 2022. Photo by John Becker.

  

  Workers install silt fencing. May 27, 2022. Photo by John Becker.

Eastside Trail

• Transit planning: Contractors for MARTA completed geotechnical work on the eastside corridor that began in February as part of transit planning for the future light rail system.

• Ponce Streetscapes: It is anticipated that a contract will be completed this summer for a construction firm to execute the streetscape improvements. Bids were received for the work on April 13th. Community members and property owners will be notified three weeks in advance of the start of work.

Southside Trail

• Southside Trail – Segment 1: There are a number of follow-on projects in the works along this segment of the Southside Trail. Permitting work is complete for a connecting sidewalk at Manford Road and bidding is in progress.  A drainage improvement project got underway mid-month to better manage storm water along the Rangewater development. Some landscaping materials have been temporarily removed and will be replaced by Trees Atlanta once the work is complete.

• Southside Trail – Segments 2 – 3: ABI’s contractor, Reeves Young, has begun brownfield remediation and, starting in June, will reach parts of the trail that require closing the full width of the path. We will identify those areas and let the public know in advance of closing them down. Full trail closures are expected to take a half to full day, depending on the work. This project will run the full length of segments 2-5 and take several months. The construction of Segments 2 and 3, which is tied to federal dollars and the federal construction process, is targeting a construction bid date of summer 2023, with construction mobilization expected by fall 2023.

• Southside Trail – Segments 4 – 5: The Southside Trail Segments 4 and 5 have moved into the shovel ready phase of work, where permitting, final real estate transactions, and utility relocation work is completed prior to the bid being let for construction. An Invitation to Bid for construction will follow the completion of brownfield remediation and two fiber relocation projects. Verizon has started work on relocating their fiber line and is expected to be complete by August. The Segment 4 and 5 project scope includes the rebuilding of the bridge of United Avenue.

• Details on each Southside Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section: Segments 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Westside Trail

• Westside Trail – Segment 3: Construction on this 1.2-mile segment is substantially complete, except for the permitting and bridge work over the railroad corridor at Marietta Boulevard. Lights, cameras, plantings, and guardrails are installed along the majority of the trail. Milling and paving of Marietta Boulevard took place in April. Now that permits and contracts are finalized with Norfolk Southern, the bridge work is ready to begin. Westside Segment 3 is currently scheduled to complete in early September.

• Westside Trail – Segment 4: The design team has delivered 90% drawings for this segment of the Westside Trail that will connect from Washington Park to the southern end of Segment 3. The team is working to accelerate final real estate transactions and permitting to expedite a construction start for this segment.

• Details on each Westside Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section: Segment 3 and Segment 4.

Northwest Trail

• On May 12, ABI and the PATH Foundation presented the prioritized trail alignments to the community. Click here to download the Northwest Trail Feasibility Study (15 MB PDF). Seven corridor options were identified and evaluated based on feasibility of acquiring real estate and ease of construction as well as the quality of the trail user experience, equity, and community feedback. The corridor options were then prioritized by most to least feasible, also taking into consideration the long-term benefits for the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. Within the western study area, Corridor 2 is the prioritized option, and the corridor has been divided into three segments for implementation: Segments 3, 4, and 5. This trail alignment begins at the northern end of the Westside Trail at Huff Road and Marietta Boulevard and traverses across the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant and Howell Mill Road, across Northside Drive, under I-75, and along a portion of Tanyard Creek until it meets the southern end of the Northside Trail in Ardmore Park. The trail length as proposed would be 2.8 miles. The eastern study area has three identified corridors – Corridors 5, 6, and 7 which are divided into two segments: Segment 1 and Segment 2. For the timing of this feasibility study and report, a final prioritization has not been determined for Segment 2 of Corridors 5, 6 and 7. The study prioritized Segment 1, where all three corridors overlap between Peachtree Park Apartments and Kinsey Court. Further study and community engagement will take place to determine the feasibility priority for the portion of Segment 2 where the corridors do not overlap. The trail lengths for the eastern corridors range from 1.5 to 1.7 miles in total. In Corridor 2, Segments 3 and 5 will move into design and engineering.  For Corridors 5, 6, and 7, only Segment 1 between Peachtree Park Apartments and Kinsey Court, will move into design and engineering. A determination on the alignment of Segment 2 is expected this summer and at that time Segments 2 and 4 will move into design and engineering.

• Details can be found in our design and construction updates: Northwest Trail study.

Northside Trail

• Information can be found here regarding CSX’s work to replace the wooden railroad trestle that runs between Tanyard Creek Park and Ardmore Park and over the Atlanta Beltline Northside Trail. The work is expected to last through 2022. Please reach out to tanyardpark@brasfieldgorrie.com with any questions.