Atlanta Beltline Breaks Ground on Northwest Trail Segment 2A
New section connects to the completed Northside Trail and Northwest Connector Trail as Beltline works toward 22-mile loop
- Design & Construction
The Atlanta Beltline broke ground on Northwest Trail Segment 2A, a 0.3-mile section that connects to the completed Northside Trail and Northwest Connector Trail. The segment moves the Beltline closer to finishing its 22-mile mainline trail loop, which is scheduled for completion by 2030.
Segment 2A is Section A of Northwest Trail Segment 2, a 0.7-mile stretch that begins at the southeast corner of Bobby Jones Golf Course and runs east along Colonial Hills Circle. The Beltline divided Segment 2 into three sections. Section A starts at Bobby Jones Golf Course and ends at the northeast end of the Georgia Power Company substation, and it covers 0.3 miles. Section B covers 0.3 miles and Section C covers 0.1 miles.
“This segment showcases the Beltline’s transformative power by demonstrating how infrastructure can do more than connect places, it can connect people to opportunity,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc. “This area of Buckhead is home to Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, the largest employer along the Beltline corridor, Shepherd Center, and numerous other job centers. This trail will help connect people to jobs, healthcare, grocery stores, and other essential services. We're not just building trails. We're investing in infrastructure that improves quality of life, expands economic opportunity and strengthens neighborhoods. The Beltline is helping demonstrate what's possible when connectivity, economic opportunity and community needs are part of the same vision.”
Unlike much of the Beltline, which follows former freight rail corridors, the Northwest Trail does not have an existing rail corridor to build upon. Announced in 2022, the Beltline extensively engaged the community and worked with the PATH Foundation to identify a preferred alignment, requiring a combination of strategic property acquisitions, infrastructure partnerships, and design solutions to advance connectivity through this part of Atlanta.
Section 2A will connect Collier Hills North and Colonial Homes. When the full Northwest Trail is finished, it will run 4.3 miles from Blandtown to the Lindbergh and Morosgo neighborhoods.
Land acquisition has played a critical role in moving the Northwest Trail forward. Over two years, the Beltline acquired 3.2 acres surrounding 2110 Peachtree Road necessary for the future Northwest Trail, affordable housing, and affordable commercial space.
These investments are part of the Beltline's larger strategy to secure the land necessary to deliver a continuous network of public infrastructure.
In September, the Beltline announced it completed purchasing all the land needed to finish the 22-miles of mainline trail — a feat that took 20 years and included buying 200 parcels totaling more than $200 million. Once completed, the Beltline will connect more than 45 Atlanta communities historically separated by highways and railroads, the result of inequitable infrastructure.
The groundbreaking follows the Northwest Trail Segment 3B’s groundbreaking, which will carry the trail over Northside Drive on a new pedestrian bridge. With 78% of the mainline trail loop complete, the Beltline is focused on finishing the northern corridor by 2030.
Work on the rest of Segment 2 is moving forward in stages. Section A is anticipated to be completed by early 2028. Section B includes the Peachtree Road crossing, which requires a new Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) bridge. Section C runs from Peachtree Road to Peachtree Park Apartments and is expected to start construction in early 2027.
The project is funded through a combination of public and philanthropic investment. Public funding comes through the Beltline Tax Allocation District, supported by the City of Atlanta, Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools, as well as the Beltline Special Service District. Philanthropic support for trail construction includes lead gifts from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc. and the James M. Cox Foundation.
The project includes construction of a 14-foot-wide multi-use trail, an elevated trail structure, pedestrian bridge, storm drainage and stormwater management with an emphasis on green infrastructure, brownfield remediation, lighting, security cameras, fiber duct bank installation, stainless-steel handrails and guardrails, site demolition and landscape installation in coordination with Trees Atlanta.
The project also includes a temporary trail connection that will provide trail users access to Peachtree Road, where new pedestrian-friendly traffic signals will support safer crossings and improve connectivity while the remaining sections are completed.
The PATH Foundation is serving as program manager, Heath & Lineback is the design team, and Hasbun Construction is the contractor.
Media assets are available here.
Pictured left to right: Ruben Brooks, Chief Operating Officer, Atlanta Beltline, Inc.; Deputy Commissioner Rachel Maher, City of Atlanta Dept of Parks and Recreation; Katharine Kelley, CEO, Buckhead Coalition; Councilmember Alex Wan, District 6, Atlanta City Council; Board Chair Jennifer McDonald, Atlanta Board of Education, District 4; Mayor Andre Dickens, City of Atlanta; Clyde Higgs, President & CEO, Atlanta Beltline, Inc.; Councilmember Mary Norwood, Atlanta City Council, District 8; Commissioner Solomon Caviness, City of Atlanta Department of Transportation; Reginald Roby, External Affairs Manager, Georgia Power; Mary Kilgo, President, Collier Hills North Neighborhood Association; Tony Casadonte - Board Member, Collier Hills North Neighborhood Association
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