Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: August 2025

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 3 and Connector Trails: This federally funded portion of trail includes the mainline trail of the Atlanta Beltline 22-mile loop, called Northeast Trail – Segment 3, as well as connector trails to the MARTA Lindbergh Center station, PATH 400, and to the Armour-Ottley district. All real estate has been purchased, and the design is 100% complete. This is a huge milestone that ensures that the trail can be built! We are currently awaiting the final signatures on the $25M RAISE Grant agreement. This is a long and complex project, one of the Beltline’s largest, and the expected construction duration will be approximately 42 months. We are hoping to put this project out to bid for construction by early 2026, pending permits and final authorization from GDOT.

  

Southside Trail

• Southside Trail Segments 2+3: This project, which extends 1.9 miles from west of I-75/85 to Boulevard, was released for construction in May of 2025. Clean-up of the existing brownfield continues near Milton Avenue, and D.H. Stanton Park continues. All underground storm work is completed west of Pryor Road, and construction has started on the last major underground pond and storm lines west of Milton. Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) wall construction is rapidly being completed east of Pryor Road for the access ramp. Storm installation from west of Hill Street with a tie-in at Hill Street is in progress. Construction of the wall below Hill Street on the east side of the road has begun for the ramp up to the trail and will continue through the end of August. Additionally, wall crews are mobilizing to begin work on the ramp at Grant Terrace SE. The majority of the trail concrete is tracking to be poured by March ’26, with the section of trail from D.H. Stanton Park to Milton Avenue targeting to be poured by the end of May ’26. The delay in pouring the trail at this location is due to the ongoing brownfield work. ABI is working to have this trail open to the public prior to June 2026, when FIFA will be held in Atlanta. However, challenges with the unexpected environmental remediation work on site may delay the full completion of the project.

  

  

  

• Southside Trail Segments 4+5: This trail segment runs from Boulevard to Glenwood and is 1.2 miles long. All columns for the ramp at United are complete, as well as the Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls and backfill. Supports are in place to enable completion of the ramp decking by the end of October. The underground stormwater detention chambers have been installed on the north side of Ormewood, and an additional bridge support (bent) for the new Ormewood Ave pedestrian bridge has been constructed. The contractor will be working on the MSE walls for the ramp and stair structures over the next several weeks. The first trail pour between Boulevard and United was completed in June. Duct bank has been installed, and the contractor is currently preparing for the next trail pour between United and Ormewood in September. Underground utility challenges at United Ave have pushed out the expected completion date, with construction expected to continue through fall 2025 and the completion of the ramp at United Avenue to continue into early 2026. Due to delays, it is possible that this project may not open to the public until early 2026.

  

  

  

  

  

• Southside Trail - Segment 6 (Bill Kennedy Way at I-20): This project 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 drawings for the project are 60% complete. The engineering team has completed a traffic analysis that contemplates changes to adjacent streets and intersections, with the intent to minimize trail and car traffic conflicts. The project will be completed in two sections: Section A will include work in the ATLDOT right-of-way south of I-20, and Section B is the GDOT right-of-way from I-20 north to Memorial Drive. The first phase along Bill Kennedy Way will go out to bid for construction in mid-2026, but construction will not start until after FIFA events scheduled for June 2026 are complete. The expected construction duration for each phase of work is expected to be between 16-18 months.

Westside Trail

• Westside Trail – Segment 6: This trail will be 0.6 miles in length and connects the Westside Trail at Lawton Street SW to the Westside Trail at Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard/White St. This section of trail is open but is a sidewalk connection, diverted off the rail corridor with ramp connections to an adjacent sidewalk. This project will construct a trail connection on the rail corridor. Design has started, with Root Design as the design lead for the project, and is approximately 10-15% complete. Design is expected to be 30% complete by the end of September 2025 and will continue through Spring of 2026. Construction is tentatively scheduled to be completed by late 2027 or early 2028. Landscaping work will extend into 2028.

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. The trail is under construction. Progress includes the completion of 90% of all the retaining walls as well as 90% of the underground storm. The trail on the south side of Peachtree Creek running through Peachtree Park Apartments is now 50% poured. Curbing and sidewalks are in progress, tying into the existing infrastructure of the apartment complex. The bridge over Peachtree Creek is in progress, and three spans of elevated trail have been poured on the north side of the creek. Due to unforeseen conditions recently encountered on the project, the construction completion date may push into Fall 2026.

  

  

  

• 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 complete. Real estate purchases and easement work are in progress. We are planning to put portions of this project out to bid sometime in 2026. 

• 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 work is complete, and permitting is in the final stages. The first section of the trail (Section 3A) between Trabert and Northside is completed and open. We have been working on real estate for the remainder of this segment and are planning to put the remaining portion of the project (Section 3B) out for bid to hire the construction team within the next six months.

• 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 bid drawings are complete, and we are fully permitted for this segment. We are working on remaining real estate transactions west of Howell Mill with real estate east of Howell Mill now ready for construction. We have split Segment 4 into Section A and Section B to provide opportunities for a smaller construction firm to bid on Section B. The construction manager, F. H. Paschen, is under contract for Section A from English Street to Howell Mill. We have released steel for bridge fabrication, and the required demolition work is complete for Section 4A. We expect to issue a notice to proceed to start construction of Section 4A before the end of 2025.

• Northwest Trail – Segment 5: This trail segment begins at the intersection of Marietta Blvd and Huff Rd, traveling to Ellsworth Industrial and English Street for a total of 0.7 miles. Construction started in May of 2024. Walls and a bridge between Elaine and Fairmont will wrap up in August. Raised intersections are complete and awaiting final signage and paint. Trail concrete pours are ongoing throughout the project and are expected to be complete by late September or early October. Handrail, as well as lighting and camera installation, is in progress and will be the last work to go in place. This project is expected to be completed by fall of 2025, contingent upon the timing of railings, lighting, and cameras.

Beltline Connector Trails + Access Points

• Oakland City MARTA Station + Murphy Connector Trail: This connector trail is expected to be 1.31 miles in total length across two segments: beginning at the existing Southside Trail access point at Allene Avenue SW, with one spur going straight out to Murphy Avenue and the other crossing Sylvan RD SW at Avon and continuing to the Oakland City MARTA station. The first segment is .45 miles in length, and the second is .86 miles in length. Martin Rickles Studio (MRS) is the selected Design Lead and was recently introduced to the community. Design is expected to run through early 2026, and construction is expected to be complete in mid-2028. Landscaping work will extend into the winter months of 2028. This project is funded through design in the most recent Beltline Strategic Implementation Plan; construction funding has not yet been identified. Design is proceeding at about 10%, and the site survey and environmental delineation are in progress.

  

All Trails Initiatives

•  Signage, Wayfinding & Crosswalks: Design is complete. The design packages include regulatory signage, wayfinding signage, and crosswalk designs. The new signage package is consistent across the entire corridor and in alignment with ABI branding. The contract and pricing are finalized with F.H. Paschen as the construction manager. Mockups of the signage are expected to start in October. Construction is expected to start in the last quarter of 2025, with the goal that all signage is installed on completed trails prior to FIFA in June 2026. Completing the signage by this date is contingent upon fabrication times that have not been confirmed at this time.

• Lighting and Camera Installations: Design is 100% complete for the gravel trail running through Piedmont Park, and the section of interim gravel trail along Westside Trail – Segment 6, which is in design for a permanent trail solution. This project will add security improvements such as lighting, cameras, tree trimming, and a crushed granite aggregate surface to existing gravel trails. A contractor under the Beltline’s current Construction Task Order program will be utilized to complete this work, which is expected to start by early 2026.

  Another security project includes camera upgrades along the existing Westside Trail corridor, with design at 100%. F.H. Paschen, a Beltline Task Order contractor, is pricing the project currently, with work expected to start by early 2026.

Parks

• Enota Park: Enota Park is an eight-acre park that is under construction on the west side of Atlanta. Tree removal work is complete. Demolition of the Lucille building is complete, and debris is now cleared. Utility adjustments, stream bank remediation, and grading are ongoing. The team is working to complete the park, along Lucille, by no later than summer 2026.

  

  

  

• Shirley C. Franklin Park (formerly Westside Park) – Mountain Bike Trail and Pump Track: This project consists of a 2.25-mile mountain bike trail for various skill levels as well as a pump track facility for teaching the sport of mountain biking. The current program for the mountain bike trails includes 0.37 miles of beginner trails, 0.67 miles of intermediate / expert gravity trails, and 1.19 miles of intermediate bidirectional trails. The project design will also include 0.75 miles of hiking trails. ABP has confirmed an $8M donation, bringing the total funding available for the first phase of the project to $8.8M. Fundraising will continue to complete the entire project and all desired elements and phases of work. We have executed the contract with the Construction Manager at Risk (Reeves Young). The drawings are 100% complete and are expected to be submitted for permit in September. Once the final pricing package is received from the contractor, we expect construction to start on the first phase of work before the end of 2025.

  

• Boulevard Crossing Park: Design work is complete for an expansion of the existing park from 5 acres to 25 acres, including a direct access path to the Southside Trail. Construction funding will need to be identified to progress the project.

Streetscapes

• Ponce de Leon Ave: This project involves 0.68 miles of streetscape work along Ponce de Leon, as well as a new ramp providing access to the Eastside Trail from Ponce de Leon. Sidewalk construction, light pole installation, mast arm and traffic signal installation, bike lane resurfacing and extension, striping, and landscaping have been completed. Wall construction for the ramp and granite veneering is complete. The elevated ramp structure and plaza to connect the sidewalk have been constructed, and the contractor is working on handrail installation. Handrail installation has been delayed, and the ramp will not open until that work is in place and final landscaping is complete. We expect the ramp to open and for the project to be complete before the end of the year.

  

You can view July's Design and Construction updates here. Our third Quarterly Briefing of 2025 will be held on Thursday, September 18th. To register for the Quarterly Briefing, click here.