Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: August 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 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.

  • Phase I is open with temporary fencing; final handrail installation to replace the construction fencing is in progress. Planting is complete. The construction team is currently refurbishing the wooden Clear Creek bridge along the gravel rail trail. Once the bridge is repaired, a new plaza will be poured at the head of the trail adjacent to the crosswalk.

  • Along Phase II, construction grading and wall work is ongoing within the corridor with granite cladding underway. Concrete slab pours for the new trail are in progress with most of the trail concrete work now in place. A new stair connection at the Piedmont Park dog park, and a ramp connecting to the sidewalks around the Six Springs Wetland area of the park, are both in progress.

  • Phase III work, which includes pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of 10th and Monroe Drive is underway. Key improvements include a new 10th Street bike lane providing direct access to the Atlanta Beltline to enhance connectivity and safety for trail users, a raised pedestrian crossing to improve safety for trail users and pedestrians, improved crossings and pedestrian signals at key intersections to ensure safer travel for all users of the trail, and new traffic signals at Kanuga St NE and Monroe Dr. NE to manage traffic flow and enhance safety. The full intersection closure is complete. Single-lane closures will be implemented to finalize sidewalk construction, which is expected to be complete by September 2024. Work in progress includes the reconstruction of each corner of the intersection.  The final asphalt topping to align the road with the new curbs and stripping will complete the intersection work.  Click here for more information. 

  • 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: Later this summer, the skirts (protective covers) on the lighting along the trail will be changed out for a taller and more robust style.  Additional cameras are being installed under I-75/85 and along Montgomery Ferry Road.  Selig will set the opening date for the connecting bridge to Ansley Mall, once they complete renovations to their building next to the bridge. Selig announced that Lewis Barbeque is the intended tenant:

• 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 includes connector trails to MARTA Lindberg station, PATH 400, and to the Armour-Ottley business district. The project is in the right-of-way acquisition phase. Coordination and negotiation with property owners is the primary effort underway. We expect to have all land deals closed this calendar year (2024). The FFPR (Final Field Plan Review) package was submitted to GDOT in mid-June, and the FFPR review meeting was held last week. FFPR represents the set of drawings that is approximately 90% complete. We are on schedule to open construction bids in summer 2025.

  • Details on each Northeast Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section: Segment 1 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. We have completed the sidewalk reconstruction, landscaping, and light pole installation throughout the project. All mast arms have been installed and the contractor is currently working with ATLDOT and Georgia Power to switch over all traffic signal operations to the new signal heads and remove the old strain pole assemblies. Bike lane improvements are complete along with pavement striping and roadway sign installation. GDOT has approved the wall and materials submittals, and the contractor has begun construction on the ramp access from the Beltline to Ponce, which is expected to be complete by January 2025.

• Updates are posted at www.beltline.org//learn/current-projects/ponce-streetscape.

  

  

  

Southside Trail

• Southside Trail – Segments 2 – 3: This trail segment is 1.9 miles and runs from McDaniel to Boulevard. The contractor has started clearing work from Pittsburgh Yards and has progressed to the area near D.H. Stanton Park. Storm water run-off management work is in place, and once approved will allow site grading and utility work to begin. ABI’s environmental consulting is testing soils to provide direction on brownfield management activities and haul off soil to an appropriate land fill. Several fiber lines have been identified as in conflict with construction work and will need to be relocated. Storm water structures have been ordered. ABI anticipates having the trail construction wrapped by early 2026, to be followed by landscaping. Read more about how the acceleration of this trails segment, here. 

  

  

• Southside Trail – Segments 4 – 5: This trail segment runs from Boulevard to Glenwood and is 1.2 miles long. Storm line installation is ongoing. Work on the Ormewood Avenue bridge abutment, south side, is in the final stages. Grading for the trail between Boulevard and United will begin at the end of August and will continue for the next few months. The United Avenue ramp construction is underway. Construction is continuing for walls which will support the ramp up to Delmar. Cladding is in progress on the United Avenue bridge abutment walls. Underground utility challenges at United Ave have pushed out the expected completion date, with construction expected to continue through fall 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 was kicked off with the community during an ABI Study Group meeting on March 25th, and most recently in a second meeting on July 9th. Survey data was obtained by the design team in mid-June so concept development can now progress based on survey. The engineering team is currently developing typical cross sections and options for street and trail composition and alignment. The project will be completed in two sections: Phase B will include work in the ATDOT right of way, which is expected to start in summer of 2025, followed by Phase A work in the GDOT right of way in summer of 2026. Details on each Southside Trail - Segment 6 can be found in our design and construction updates section, here.

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. Steel has now been placed on all five bridges, or elevated trail sections and concrete has now been poured. Stone is being installed under bridges and final grading is taking place between Washington Park and Washington Manor. The fiber duct bank is complete from Lena to North Avenue. Grading is in progress along the portion of the trail on historic rail bed, also called the Kudzu Trail. The trail has been paved from Lena to the first elevated section of trail. Handrail installation on two of the bridges is underway. The stone walls at Donald Lee Hollowell underpass are underway. All walls have been poured. The trail has been poured from Lena to Washington Manor. A new road is in place at Washington Manor, allowing cul-de-sac traffic to exit without use of the road section to be removed for trail. Handrail installation is in progress on three of the five elevated trail sections. 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. Granite facing is now complete except for the stair area, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of August. Granite Pavers at the plaza are 75% complete. Final grading for the sidewalks and curb work in the plaza and adjacent to street is in progress with concrete pours scheduled for the latter part of August. The balance of milling and paving on RDA and South Gordon is scheduled for the week of September 9th. Safety Railing and handrail have been delayed. The project end date is targeted for later this summer, with final landscaping to occur in early October 2024 to ensure plant survivability.

  

  

  

• Ralph David Abernathy Complete Streets: This is a streetscape improvement project in the heart of the West View business district. The project is approximately 800 feet in length and includes parking and protected bicycle lanes. The project is complete except for installation of pedestrian light poles and a punch list work. Final landscaping held off until early October ’24 to ensure plant survivability.

Enota Park

• Enota Park is an eight-acre park that will be built on the west side of Atlanta. A contract was executed for a Construction Manager for Enota Park, and the award went to Reeves Young. ABI is working with the City of Atlanta to address revisions to real estate parcels within the park and finalizing construction permitting. Construction is funded and targeted to start in fall of 2024. The project construction schedule is expected to be around 16 months, with an anticipated start date dependent upon permitting.

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 to be our Construction Manager at Risk. Although the contractor has not physically mobilized, construction work is underway. 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 trail sections. The acquisition of easements is ongoing and once complete, we will start at the Peachtree Park Apartment complex at the beginning of Q3.

• 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. The design drawings are 60% complete. Achieving this milestone allows real estate purchases and easements to begin. The drawings are expected to 90% complete in September.

• 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 is 60% complete. 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. Permitting with GDOT for a bridge over Northside Drive is in progress and this is the project’s critical path. The section of the trail between Trabert and Northside, called 3A, has started construction.

  

• 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 real estate to begin property purchases and easements. Coordination with the Department of Watershed Management and other property owners has been very productive and the alignment for this segment has been confirmed. We will be splitting Segment 4 into two parts called Section 1 and Section 2. We are currently soliciting a construction manager for Section 1 from English Street to Howell Mill.

• 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. The project is under construction and clearing work is in progress, along with soil remediation work from the corridor between Elaine / Ellsworth and Fairmont.

  

  

  

  

Beltline Transit Study

• This planning project, primarily focused on determining a preferred transit alignment in the NW Beltlines quadrant where there is no abandoned railroad corridor, 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 2nd kick-off meeting, we have been coordinating outreach with the community via multiple forums, including the State of the Beltline, an Equity Stakeholder Committee, 3 small-group roundtables, multiple Pop-Up engagements on weekends, etc. We expect to have sufficient information for another public meeting this summer.

• The project will be supportive of the concept of infill stations that was announced by Mayor Dickens in April 2024. The study does not have any work started on this front yet.

• A public meeting, providing updates on the study progress, is scheduled for September 26, 2024. You can register here for the meeting.

You can view July's Design and Construction updates here. Our third Quarterly Briefing of 2024 was held virtually on September 10, 2024. You can watch the meeting on the Atlanta Beltline's YouTube channel.