Atlanta Beltline Design and Construction Updates: September 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, and is expected to complete in the fall of 2024: 

• Phase I from Westminster Drive to Evelyn Street is open for use; handrail completion is delayed and will be completed in the coming months. 

• Phase II from Evelyn Street to Monroe Drive has a fully poured concrete trail, final grading and seeding.  Light and camera installation as well as handrail work is in progress.  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.

• Northeast Trail – Segment 2: New skirts (protective covers) on the lighting along the trail have been 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. Ansley Golf has completed netting installation.  Trees Atlanta is developing a cost and schedule to restore the meadow area disturbed by the netting installation, with all costs paid by Ansley Golf.

• 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.  We expect to have all real estate work completed this calendar year (2024).  We are on schedule to open construction bids in summer 2025, to align with the federal funding fiscal year.  This project has more than $40M 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 was released for construction with a construction mobilization date of May 20th and an early 2026 completion timeline. Tree clearing is complete, and erosion control is in place. Upcoming activities will include grading and the demolition of the former South Fulton Health Department building. Unexpected relocation of fiber 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. Storm line installation is ongoing. Installation of temporary shoring at United Avenue is in progress and will take about a month to complete. Pile driving for the bridge abutments at Ormewood Avenue is ongoing and the first of two bridge bents are complete. Construction is continuing for the walls that will support an access ramp at Delmar. 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. A Study Group meeting to present the concept design to the community is scheduled for October 8th, 2024. The project will be completed in two sections: Section A will include work in the ATDOT right of way, which is expected to start construction in summer of 2025, followed by Section B work in the GDOT right of way in summer of 2026.

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 five bridges, or elevated trail sections and the bridge concrete has been poured. Bridge 6 is ready for steel erection. Wall retaining walls have been constructed and faced except for Wall 6 which is receiving smooth granite cladding. Trail has been poured from Lena to Washington Manor and lights and cameras have been installed. This area is ready for landscaping. Grading along the Kudzu trail (abandoned rail line section of the trail) has begun as well. Handrail installation is continuing. 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, 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 moving into solicitation for a design firm, with design expected to run through early 2026 and construction to be complete by 2027, with landscaping to follow.

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 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 and starts at Allene Ave SW, runs adjacent to Avon Ave, crosses over Sylvan Road SW, crosses over Dill Ave and terminates at Murphy Oakland City MARTA station. The project is moving into solicitation for a design firm, with design expected to run through early 2026 and construction to be complete by 2027, with landscaping extending into 2028.

• 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. Open construction items not yet complete include handrail and guard rail at the ramp, striping, RRFB (rapid flashing beacon) and signage installation, and punch list work. Trees Atlanta is scheduled to complete plantings and tree installation by November 2024.

  

  

  

Parks

• 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 finalizing construction permitting. Construction is funded and targeted to start in fall of 2024. The project construction schedule is expected to be 18 months, with an anticipated completion date in spring of 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 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.

• 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, and landscaping have been completed. Bike lane resurfacing and extension, as well as pavement striping are also complete. Mast arm construction is complete, and signal heads have been installed. Traffic signals are being coordinated with ATLDOT and GDOT for switchover. Excavation for ramp construction began mid-September. Wall and elevated structure submittals have been approved by GDOT and ramp construction has begun. Estimated completion date of the project is January 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 the signage package installation and landscaping which is scheduled for mid-October. Georgia is expected to complete the light installation in the coming weeks.

  

  

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, 3small-group roundtables, multiple Pop-Up engagements on weekends, etc. A Study Group meeting was held with the community in September 2024.

• 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 Beltline 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 it 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 August'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.