Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: December 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 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 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. Special permits are in progress with the Army Corps of Engineers and the GA Environmental Protection Division due to adjacency to Peachtree Creek. We are on schedule to procure construction bids in mid-2025, to align with the federal funding fiscal year. This project has more than $42M in federal funding allocated to the project.

  

Southside Trail

• Southside Trail Segments 2+3: This project, which extends 1.9 miles from west of I-75/85 to Boulevard has a targeted construction completion date of early 2026. Storm system installation has started adjacent to Pittsburgh Yards. Mass grading has begun above D.H. Stanton Park to begin shaping the new access point. Storm piping and structures have been staged along both segments for storm piping work to begin first at the access point to D.H. Stanton Park and move to west of Hill Street. Unexpected relocation of fiber, additional brownfield remediation, as well as the relocation of storm lines to accommodate the fiber in some areas is impacting current progress. This project achieved the highest level of federal funding possible at 80% of the total construction budget. 

• 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 have been constructed and grading for the stormwater pond in ongoing. The contractor is focused on drainage swales and prepping the corridor for trail pour between Boulevard and United. The ramp system up to Delmar is undergoing final grading and continuing construction on the ramp walls. The ramp is expected to be poured in January. Underground utility challenges at United Ave have pushed out the expected completion date, with construction expected to continue through fall 2025.

• Southside Trail - Segments 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 design of this project was kicked off with the community during an ABI Study Group meeting in March 2024. The drawings for the project are 30% complete. The engineering team is completing a traffic analysis that contemplates changes to adjacent streets and intersections, with the intent to minimize trail and car traffic conflicts. A Study Group meeting to present the concept design to the community was on October 8th, 2024. 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.

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 southern portion of the Westside Trail - Segment 4 has now been open to the public. This section runs from Lena Street to Mayson Turner. It accounts for approximately 40% of the total length of this segment. Landscaping on this section of the trail is ongoing. All six bridges on the Westside - Segment 4 trail have now been poured and we have started on the handrails. Wall retaining walls have been constructed and faced including the smooth granite on the retaining wall by Donald Lee Hollowell. The trail has been poured to the Kudzu Trail and expect to be close to North Avenue by the end of the year. The project is on track to be completed in Spring of 2025

• 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. This section of trail is open but is a sidewalk connection that is diverted off the rail corridor with ramp connections to an adjacent sidewalk. This project will construct a trail connection on the rail corridor. The project is in progress on a solicitation for a design engineer. Design is expected to run through early 2026 and construction to be complete by late 2027, with landscaping extending into 2028.

  

Northwest Trail

• Northwest Trail – Segment 1: This section of the trail is 0.8 miles in length, beginning at the western edge of Peachtree Parks Apartments and running south along Peachtree Creek. The trail on the north and south sides of Peachtree Creek are now under construction. We have completed the tree clearing. During the month of December, we will be working on the apartment side of the creek, doing utility relocations as well as foundation wall construction to begin in January. The bridge construction itself will begin in February. The bridge over Peachtree Creek is in fabrication in Greenville, South Carolina.

• 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 90% complete. Real estate purchases and easement work is in progress. The trail segment has been split into three sections to allow for two of the sections to move forward into construction at an accelerated schedule. Section A is from Bobby Jones to the northeast end of the Georgia Power Company substation. Section B is the Peachtree Road crossing. Section C is from Peachtree to Peachtree Park Apartments. Section A and Section C will be 100% designed by December. Design completion for Section B is dependent upon the development of GDOT’s design for the Peachtree Bridge replacement, and upon final real estate negotiations.

• 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 90% complete and we are submitted for required permits in November. Design will reach 100% as real estate negotiations are finalized, and any required changes are incorporated into the drawings. A construction manager has been hired to provide early assistance with construction logistics, scheduling, and budgeting while the drawings are being completed. The section of the trail between Trabert and Northside has started construction. Wall construction on this section is progressing and we are still on target to complete early 2nd quarter of 2025 for this small portion of Segment 3.

• 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 90% drawings are complete and we are submitting to the various permitting agencies for approval. Coordination with the Department of Watershed Management and other property owners has been very productive and the alignment for this segment has been confirmed. Design will reach 100% as real estate negotiations are finalized, and any required changes are incorporated into the drawings. We have split Segment 4 into two parts called Section A and Section B. We are currently finalizing contracting with a construction manager for Section 1, running 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. Construction started in May of 2024. Clearing and grading from Elaine to Fairmont is ongoing. Elaine has been milled but progress is on hold as an unforeseen utility is relocated by the Department of Watershed Management. A full street closure will be required to install storm and speed tables at Elaine and Ellsworth, and the schedule will be provided in advance to all impacted. This project is expected to be complete by Fall 2025.

Beltline Connector Trails + Access Points

• Oakland City MARTA Station + Murphy Connector Trail: This connector trail is expected to be 1.31 miles in length in total and beginning at the existing Southside Trail access point at Allene Avenue SW and splitting into two segments. The first segment of the trail is .45 miles in length and starts at Allene Avenue SW, crosses over Sylvan Road SW and terminates at Murphy Avenue. The second segment of the trail is .86 miles in length. It starts at Avon Avenue, crosses Sylvan Road SW and Dill Avenue, and terminates at Oakland City MARTA station. The project is currently in solicitation for a design firm, with design expected to run through early 2026. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2027, with landscaping extending into 2028. This project is funded through design in the most recent Beltline Strategic Implementation Plan. Construction funding has not yet been identified.

  

• Ralph David Abernathy Access Point: 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. Ramp construction including walls and walking surfaces are complete. All asphalt paving, plaza pavers, curb, sidewalks and medians are complete. Railing installation has begun on the ramp system and is targeted to be complete by the end of December. Trees Atlanta completed plantings and tree installation this month.

  

  

  

Parks

• Enota Park: Enota Park is an eight-acre park that will be built on the west side of Atlanta. ABI has finalized the construction agreement with the CM at Risk and a notice to proceed is expected to be issued in December to release the start work on material orders and shop drawings, so that mobilization can start as soon as permits are in hand. Construction will be mobilized once permits are in hand. The Beltline is working with the City of Atlanta to finalize construction permitting. The project construction schedule is expected to be 18 months, with an anticipated completion date in late 2026.

  

• Westside Park – Mountain Bike Trail and Pump Track: This Westside Park project consists of a 2 1/4 - 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 will also include 0.75 miles of hiking trails. ABP has recently confirmed an $8M donation, bringing the total funding raided for the project to $8.8M. The project is expected to cost $15M to complete all desired elements and phases of work. Design is in progress and is expected to be complete by spring 2025, with permitting for construction complete by summer 2025. We are currently focused on a Construction Manager at Risk procurement solicitation for construction and working on Design Development with Sherwood Engineering. The team completed a site walk with the WSP Advisory group in November 2024.

  

  

• 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, bike lane resurfacing and extension, striping, and landscaping have been completed. Georgia Power has connected the new traffic signals and has switched over to the new signal heads. Wall construction for the ramp is ongoing and granite veneering will continue through December. Estimated completion date of the project is February 2025.

• Ralph David Abernathy (RDA) Complete Streets Project: This is a streetscape improvement project in the heart of the business district. The project is approximately 800’ in length and includes parking and protected bicycle lanes. A pre-landscape punch list has been completed with ATLDOT in September 2024. Items remaining to be completed include punch list repairs as landscaping was completed in October. Georgia Power is expected to complete the light installation in the coming weeks, but is waiting for a permit variance in order to complete the work.

Transit

Beltline Transit Feasibility Study

• This planning project, primarily focused on determining a preferred transit alignment in the NW Beltline 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.

• The consultant team has been coordinating outreach with the community through multiple forums, including Equity Stakeholder Committee meetings, small-group roundtables, multiple Pop-Up engagements on weekends, etc. Multiple public meetings have been hosted with the community in September, October, and November 2024 and more engagement is forthcoming. An Online survey received well over 2000 responses, which are being reviewed and compiled by the study team.

• This project is anticipated to be completed in June 2025.

Eastside Streetcar Extension – More MARTA

• This project includes the extension of the existing Atlanta Downtown Streetcar east to the Atlanta Beltline corridor, then extending north in the BellLine corridor to Ponce De Leon.

• An intergovernmental agreement between MARTA and the City of Atlanta has been executed, with MARTA on point for contracting and funding the consulting work for conceptual transit design work. MARTA is targeting to have operational transit in place by 2028.

• ABI has received Phase 1 - 30% drawings for review of the Eastside Streetcar Extension. ABI provided comments on the 2nd revision to the Phase 1 deliverables.

  • ABI supports a non-embedded, top of rail, grass track solution.

  • ABI supports the premise of the project running completely off-wire.

  • ABI looks forward to MARTA beginning a community engagement plan ASAP.

  • ABI supports improvements to existing Atlanta Streetcar A-Line service.

• The MARTA board has authorized a contract with HDR for final engineering services. However, MARTA has not yet released HDR to begin Phase 2 deliverables, including 60% design development and community engagement.

You can view November's Design and Construction updates here. Our fourth Quarterly Briefing of 2024 was held virtually on December 12, 2024. You can watch the meeting on the Atlanta Beltline's YouTube channel.