Atlanta BeltLine Design and Construction Updates: March 2024

Below you will find recent updates and photos of each of our Atlanta BeltLine projects in design or construction 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.  

Northeast Trail 

• Northeast Trail – Segment 1: Construction is underway on this segment that runs alongside Piedmont Park and will be completed in three phases: Phase I from Westminster Drive to Evelyn Street, Phase II from Evelyn Street to Monroe Drive, and Phase III including the 10th Street and Monroe Drive intersection improvements.
  • In Phase I, the trail is complete from Westminster Drive NE, running adjacent to Clear Creek to Evelyn Street. This area is sometimes referred to as the Carriage Trail. Lighting and camera installation, and planting work is complete. This section of trail will be opened for use at the end of March.  Temporary barriers will be in place along the trail edge until permanent handrails along the trail edge can be delivered and installed. The construction team will start refurbishing the wooden Clear Creek bridge along the gravel trail in April.
  • Along Phase II, construction grading and wall work is ongoing within the corridor with retaining walls granite cladding underway along the dog park.
  • Phase III work, which includes pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of 10th and Monroe Drive, will be the last phase of work to start. Planning and logistics are in progress for this complex phase of work. The team is fine tuning the plans to minimize traffic impacts. Reeves Young has applied for the traffic and sidewalk permits for 10^th and Monroe.  Once the permits are received from the City, final logistics and phasing plans for the intersection will be shared with the community. The ABI project management team has met with several neighborhood groups and APS to coordinate on timing and phasing of work. 
  • The BeltLine continues to work alongside Piedmont Park Conservancy, City of Atlanta Parks Department, and Atlanta Department of Transportation on this project. The project is expected to be complete in fall of 2024.

    

     

    

     

• Northeast Trail – Segment 2: This trail is open to the public with follow-on projects and punch list work underway. Construction is wrapping up for a connecting sidewalk at the north end of the trail at Mayson Street including the addition of a small connecting bicycle ramp. Selig Enterprises, owner of Ansley Mall, is in progress on a bridge connecting the rear of their retail stores to the trail. Selig will set the opening date for the connecting bridge, which will likely be in the summer.

  

   

  

   

• Northeast Trail – Segment 3: This federally funded portion of trail includes the mainline trail of the Atlanta BeltLine 22-mile loop, called Northeast Trail – Segment 3, and also includes connector trails to MARTA Lindberg station, PATH 400, and to the Armour-Ottley business district. The design team is finalizing the 90% drawings this month. Real estate acquisition and construction easements are underway and will be followed by GDOT approvals for right of way, environmental, and utility work. A total of 16 real estate parcels will require agreements with property owners.  Construction letting / bidding is targeted for May 2025. The current expected construction start is August of 2025, with up to a three-year schedule to complete the mainline trail and the connector trails.
• Details on each Northeast Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section: Segment 1, Segment 2, and Segment 3.

Eastside Trail 

• Ponce de Leon Avenue Streetscapes: The Ponce streetscape project will provide an improved pedestrian and bicycle connection along Ponce de Leon Avenue to the BeltLine running from Boulevard to Freedom Parkway.  JHC is working on constructing the last sections of sidewalk between Ponce City Market and Ford Factory Lofts, followed by installing the median between Midtown Place and the Ponce Beltline bridge. This work should continue through the end of April. The contractor will begin construction on the Beltline access ramp as soon as GDOT approves the wall and materials submittals, currently under review.  This project is currently anticipated to complete in June of 2024, but the access ramp will likely be completed at a later date due to timing of engineering review work. Updates are posted at www.beltline.org/ponce.

  

   

  

   

  

   

Southside Trail 

• Southside Trail – Segments 2 – 3: Construction bids were received on February 27th and a low bidder has been approved by ABI, GDOT, and FHWA.  The team is working to mobilize and start construction in late spring of 2024.  If construction starts as planned, ABI anticipates to have the trail construction wrapped by early 2026, to be followed by landscaping. This project achieved the highest level of federal funding possible at 80% of the total construction budget.  On the interim trail, rail events have caused slope failure along Skylark Apartments.  A temporary engineering fix has been developed to stabilize the condition near term.  A permanent stabilization solution will be implemented as a part of the construction work.  Trail users should use caution around these areas, which are restricted with cones and barriers.
• Southside Trail – Segments 4 – 5:  Storm line installation is ongoing. The contractor is working at the United Avenue bridge and expects to have the new abutments constructed and begin setting beams by the end of April. Grading prep for the United Avenue ramp will begin mid-April and continue throughout the end of May. Pile driving for bridge abutments at Ormewood Avenue will begin the last week of April. Reeves Young will also be continuing construction on the walls which will support the ramp up to Delmar throughout May. The trail will remain closed for the duration of construction which is expected to last through spring 2025. Detour options can be found here.

  

   

  

   

• Southside Trail – Segment 6, Phase II:  This project will replace the interim condition and includes a new pedestrian bridge over I-20, running parallel to the existing vehicular bridge at Bill Kennedy Way.  The trail section running through Glenwood Park will also be improved to meet BeltLine trail standards.  The design of this project kicked off with the community during an ABI Study Group meeting on March 25th.  The engineering team is currently developing typical cross sections and options for the street and trail composition and alignment.  A Study Group meeting will be scheduled when the concepts are ready to present.
• Manford Road Streetscapes: This project includes the construction of connecting sidewalks to the Southside Trail from the Capitol View Manor neighborhood.  Contractor has constructed the walls, ADA ramps, crosswalks, and signage. Sidewalk construction should be fully completed by mid-April.
• 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 4: This 1.3-mile segment begins at the current Westside Trail terminus near Lena Street and Washington Park and extends north to Law Street where the trail ties into the Westside BeltLine Connector and the completed Westside Trail – Segment 3. The contractor continues to construct retaining walls and has started installing granite cladding on walls along the corridor. Steel has now been placed on four of the elevated trail sections (or bridges), with the steel for the remaining two sections expected to be set in April. The first elevated trail section near Washington Park has been poured and also the second elevated trail section connecting over to Washington Manor.  Stone (rip rap) is being installed under bridges and final grading is taking place between Washington Park and Washington Manor. Duct bank has been complete from Lena to the MARTA line crossing and is progressing towards the end of Westmoor Drive.  Final grading at the Lena stretch of the trail will start at the end of March. This project is expected to be complete in summer of 2025.

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

   

• Ralph David Abernathy Access Point (at Westview): This project will provide a new access point to the Westside Trail, with a protected crossing across Ralph David Abernathy and a ramp and stair connection to the BeltLine. A landscaped plaza is also part of the design.  At the South Gordon island work, all sidewalks and drives are complete.  Three walls have been poured at the location of the stair and ramp for the access point, and the formwork removed.  Backfill of the walls will begin in the last week of March, following confirmation of 7-day concrete break strength.  Crews will be mobilized to begin granite cladding work, which will precede final grading for the lower ramp section and stair.  The contractor is focused on completing the north end of site, establishing final grade completing asphalt installation. This project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2024.

  

   

  

   

  

   

• Ralph David Abernathy Complete Streets: This is a streetscape improvement project in the heart of the West View business district. The project is approximately 0.5 miles in length and includes parking and protected bicycle lanes. New granite curb, pole bases/lighting infrastructure, and sidewalk is complete from the Ke’nekt lot and Mizutek lot up to the Westview Lofts on the West side of RDA.  The contractor mobilized at the Slutty Vegan (west side of RDA) at East Ontario Avenue on March 11^th.  New granite curb, pole bases/lighting infrastructure, and sidewalk is complete from East Ontario to the front of the second door of the Slutty Vegan, with preliminary demo along existing curb completed and headed south on the sidewalk to Westview Lofts.  During the last week of March, the contractor will demo existing sidewalk down the front of the barber shop door to address section at Augie’s restaurant which is open 7-days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m..  ABI and the contractor are working closely with businesses to possibly take more section of sidewalk quicker to expedite work schedule and still maintain access during hours of operation.

  

   

  

  RDA Streetscape Construction Reel

Enota Park

• Enota Park is an eight-acre park that will be built on the west side of Atlanta. A contract is executed for a Construction Manager for Enota Park, and the award went to Reeves Young. Now that the construction team is on board, the project budget will be confirmed and any required adjustments to the design will be completed to maintain the budget before construction is released to begin. ABI is working with the City of Atlanta to address revisions to real estate parcels within the park, and finalizing construction permitting.  Construction schedule is currently dependent upon permitting and real estate resolution.  A construction start date will be confirmed when these tasks are close to completion.
  

Northwest Trail 

• Northwest Trail – Segment 1: This section of trail is 0.8 miles in length, beginning at the western edge of Peachtree Parks Apartments and running south along Peachtree Creek. We have executed a contract with Reeves Young for Construction Manager at Risk Services. Drawings are 90% drawings and a cost model for the project is complete. We have begun to procure various parts of the project such as the bridge over Peachtree Creek as well as the materials for the retaining walls along the corridor and all elevated sections. The acquisition of easements is ongoing and once complete, we will be in a position to begin enabling work at the Peachtree Park Apartment complex , targeting early Q2.  This enabling work clear the way for all the work to progress, such as the installation of the new Peachtree Creek bridge.
• Northwest Trail – Segment 2: This segment begins at the southwest corner of Bobby Jones Golf Course and travels east along Colonial Hills Circle for 0.7 miles. Design drawings are 60% complete as of the end of March.  This releases the start of real estate work required to secure the corridor for the trail.
• Northwest Trail – Segment 3: This section of trail begins at Trabert Avenue near Monday Night Brewing’s parking lot and ends after crossing under I-75 at Tanyard Creek, for a total length of 1.2 miles. Design will be 60% complete by May 2024. A contract has been awarded to Astra Group for Construction Manager at Risk Services.  The construction manager will provide early assistance with construction logistics, scheduling, and budgeting while the drawings are being completed.  A section of the trail that is approximately 0.5 miles and runs between between Trabert and Northside is scheduled to start construction early April.
• Northwest Trail – Segment 4: This 0.9-mile-long trail begins at English and Culpepper and ends at the parking lot of Monday Night Brewery at Trabert. The 60% drawings are complete which releases the start of real estate work required to secure the corridor for the trail.  Coordination with the Department of Watershed Management and other property owners has been very productive and the alignment for this segment has been confirmed.
• Northwest Trail – Segment 5: This trail section begins at the intersection of Marietta Blvd and Huff Rd, traveling to Ellsworth Industrial and English Street for a total of 0.7 miles. Real estate work is coming to an end in Q1.  The project has been posted for construction and bids are due April 11^th.  We expect to be under construction early May. The construction schedule is anticipated to be 14 months.

BeltLine Transit Study 

• This planning project, primarily focused on determining a preferred transit alignment in the NW BeltLine quadrant where there is no abandoned railroad corridor. It also intends to identify stop locations and generalized cross-sections in the SW and SE quadrants of the BeltLine corridor.  The overall study area is looking at 13-14 miles of future light-rail/streetcar transit corridor, tying into the NE BeltLine quadrant planning work previously performed by MARTA in 2021.  The effort is guided by principles of equity and the goal of developing a world-class network of high-capacity transit in a green guideway wherever possible. Since the October 2^nd kick-off meeting, we have been coordinating outreach with the community via multiple forums, including the State of the BeltLine, an Equity Stakeholder Committee, three small-group roundtables, multiple Pop-Up engagements on weekends, etc. The project runs through June 2025 with numerous engagement points along the way.

You can view February’s design and construction update here.  Our first Quarterly Briefing of 2024 was held virtually on February 8th. You can watch the meeting on the Atlanta BeltLine’s YouTube channel.