Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: January 2024

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.

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, 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, three small-group roundtables, multiple Pop-Up engagements on weekends, etc. The project runs thru June 2025 and there will be numerous engagement points along the way.

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, work is underway to replace an asphalt trail passing through Piedmont Park starting at Westminster Drive, NE and running adjacent to Clear Creek. This area is sometimes referred to as the Carriage Trail. This section of trail has been poured to Evelyn Street. Lighting and camera installation will follow along with planting work, the latter of which will begin in early February. ABI is working to open this section of trail early, possibly by February, with temporary barriers in place while we wait for handrails to be delivered and installed. The Clear Creek bridge along the gravel trail will be refurbished once this section of trail is opened for use.

  • Along Phase II, construction crews have completed erosion control measures, tree clearing and stump removal. Storm water, walls, and grading work is underway. The contractor is completing survey layout, and working to resolve several unknown utility conflicts that span the length of the trail.

  • Phase III work, which includes pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of 10th and Monroe Drive, will take place later in the construction schedule and with ample community notice and coordination. Planning and logistics are in progress for this phase of work. Reeves Young has applied for the traffic and sidewalk permits for 10th and Monroe. We are working towards a start date of March 11th for this 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, all of which is expected to be complete in next month. Construction is wrapping up for a connecting sidewalk at the north end of the trail at Mayson Street, and is expected to be complete in January. Landscape installation is in progress and will continue through April 2024. 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 is expected by late winter or early spring.

• 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 scheduled to complete 90% drawings by March of 2024. Real estate acquisition and construction easements are underway and will be followed by GDOT approvals for right of way, environmental, and utility work. 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.

  

  View of newly poured trail at the Evelyn Street bridge in Piedmont Park looking north towards Westminster Dr., NE. January 24, 2024.

  

  View of newly poured trail from Evelyn Street bridge in Piedmont Park looking north towards Westminster Dr. NE. ABI is working to open this phase of the project early, possibly in February, once lights and cameras are installed and operational. January 24, 2024.

  

  New trees ready for installation by Trees Atlanta on the recently opened Northeast Trail – Segment 2. January 24, 2024.

  

  Progress on the connecting sidewalk at the north end of Northeast Trail – Segment 2, along Mayson Street, NE. January 24, 2024.

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. Work currently in progress constructing the last sections of sidewalk between Glen Iris and Ford Factory Lofts/725 Ponce. This work should continue through the end of February, followed by median construction and traffic signal installation. 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. Updates are posted at www.beltline.org/ponce.

Southside Trail

• Southside Trail – Segments 2 – 3: The construction of Segments 2 and 3 has been released to bid.  Construction bids are currently expected in February. The goal is to begin trail construction in late spring of 2024, with a two year construction schedule.  This project achieved the highest level of federal funding possible at 80% of the total construction budget.

• Southside Trail – Segments 4 – 5: Current activities include the installation of storm piping and structures underground that will mitigate and manage storm water on the completed project. Installation of temporary shoring at United Avenue has begun but is on hold until unknown underground utilities have been located and it is safe to proceed with work. Pile driving for bridge bents (structures) at Ormewood Avenue is ongoing, along with the column pours. The contractor will also be continuing construction on retaining walls which will support the ramp up to Delmar. The trail will remain closed for the duration of construction, expected to last through spring 2025. Detour options can be found here.

• Manford Road Streetscapes: This project includes the construction of connecting sidewalks to the Southside Trail from the Capitol View Manor neighborhood. Construction hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Monday and Friday. Contractor has submitted and paid for all permit applications and is expecting all approved permits by the end of January. Work should begin in February and should take no more than 6 weeks to complete.

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

  

  Long view of the trail under construction from the Berne Street bridge. January 31, 2024.

  

  Work underway to complete retaining walls for a new ramp connection at Delmar to provide access to the trail. January 28, 2024.

  

  Temporary shoring in progress at United Avenue in preparation for a new pedestrian bridge and removal of existing abutments (walls to hold original bridge). January 28, 2024.

  

  Abutment wall removal at United Avenue. New abutment walls will be constructed to support a new pedestrian bridge as well as future light rail. January 31, 2024.

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 is continuing to construct required retaining walls on the trail and has started granite cladding installation. Steel has been installed on elevated trails in four locations, with a first deck pour completed this month. Steel for the two remaining elevated trail section is expected to arrive and be installed in February. Stone rip rap is being installed under all elevated trail sections and final grading is underway between Washington Park and Washington Park Manor. Trail grading and fiber ductwork has commenced near Lena Street. Grading is also underway along the section of trail with abandoned railroad corridor. We have closed one lane of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in order to build a site wall in that location.  We anticipate this road closure lasting 2-3 weeks. Details on this Westside Trail segment can be found in our design and construction updates section for Segment 4. This project is expected to be complete in summer of 2025. A public community virtual meeting is scheduled for February 26 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. for Westside Trail and Westside Park updates.

• 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. On the S. Gordon north island, the sidewalk is poured and islands are backfilled. On the S. Gordon south island, existing island and sidewalks adjacent to building have been demolished, installation of granite curb is in progress. A water leak on a main on S. Gordon is hampering the prep of sidewalks against the building. The Department of Watershed Management has been contacted for assistance.  On the trail side, storm sewer work is complete. Wall footing excavation is roughly complete, but rain has plagued the low point of the site where wall footings need to start with wet soils that have been cut out several times. As of the end of January, the low end of the site is being undercut again to verify compaction and perform remediation as needed to include stone and fabric to stabilize the area and start footings for stair and ramp walls. Work in this area is being expedited so that work is in place before the next rain event. The work is expected to be complete and open to the public within eight months, in summer of 2024.

• Ralph David Abernathy Complete Streets: 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. In the next community meeting (details below), the schedule sequence will be provided to the public for the retail area portion of the project. The first work area will be from Lucile Avenue to Willard Avenue on the east side of RDA to demo existing curb and sidewalks and install new sidewalks. Pole bases for lighting have been excavated. Trees along this stretch have been removed. Crosswalk installation at KIPP Academy and median construction from West Ontario to Westview Drive, SW is complete with exception of striping, signage and delineator installation. This project is expected to be complete in spring of 2024. A public community meeting is scheduled to take place virtually for the RDA projects and Enota Park on February 1 from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

  

  Construction underway at the access point with the wall cut and grading complete, which will include a ramp and stair connection to the Westside Trail. January 24, 2024.

  

  Completed pedestrian sidewalk reconfiguration work at S. Gordon Street, SW that will include a rapid flashing beacon (crosswalk signal) for a safer crossing condition when accessing the Westside Trail. January 24, 2024.

  

  Recently completed islands in Ralph David Abernathy, which will provide a safer crossing condition to Kipp Academy. January 24, 2024.

  

  First concrete pour on an elevated section of trail at Westside Trail – Segment 4, facing towards Washington Park. January 31, 2024.

  

  New access ramp from Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, NW, facing towards the Beltline Westside Connector Trail. Steel has been delivered and is ready for an elevated section of trail to the right side of the image. January 24, 2024.

  

  Elevated trail with decking installation in progress, preparing for the concrete to be poured. View is from Washington Manor Drive, NW towards Washington Park. January 24, 2024.

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 also working with the City of Atlanta currently to address revisions to real estate parcels within the park, and finalizing construction permitting.  Construction is funded and targeted to start in 2024. The project construction schedule is expected to be 16 months, with an anticipated start by the second quarter of 2024. A public community meeting is scheduled to take place virtually for the RDA projects and Enota Park on February 1 from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

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 for Segment 1. We have completed 90% drawings for this segment and a cost model has been completed for the project. 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. The acquisition of real estate easements is ongoing and once complete we will be in a position to begin early enabling work at the Peachtree Park Apartment complex at the beginning of Q2.  This enabling work will allow the main trail project to begin in earnest unencumbered.

• 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. 60% design is scheduled for March. Once design is 60% complete, real estate easements and purchases can be negotiated and finalized.

• 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.  We are permitting a section of the trail between Trabert Avenue and Northside Drive and hope to begin work on that small section in March.

• 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. Design is expected to be 60% complete by March of 2024. 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 have begun early land procurement for this segment.

• 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 will be posted for a construction bid in February or March of 2024, as soon as the property closes. The construction schedule is expected to be 18 months.

You can view December’s design and construction update here.  Our first Quarterly Briefing of 2024 will take place virtually on February 8th.