Atlanta Beltline Breaks Ground on Northwest Trail – Segment 3B, Creating a Safe Crossing Over Northside DriveAtlanta Beltline Breaks Ground on Northwest Trail – Segment 3B, Creating a Safe Crossing Over Northside Drive

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Beltline, Inc. (ABI) President & CEO Clyde Higgs, elected officials and community leaders broke ground today on construction of Northwest Trail – Segment 3B, marking another major step toward completing the Atlanta Beltline’s 22-mile mainline trail loop ahead of 2030. The one-mile segment will create a new, safe connection over Northside Drive and will complete the 1.2-mile Northwest Trail – Segment 3, extending from Trabert Avenue to Tanyard Creek Park.

Segment 3B will connect the Underwood Hills, Collier Hills, Loring Heights, Channing Valley and Ardmore neighborhoods to the Beltline’s growing trail network, while enhancing safe pedestrian and bicycle travel along Northside Drive. The one-mile segment will cross Northside Drive via a new pedestrian bridge before continuing through the Atlanta Technology Center property, along an elevated trail structure beneath I-75 and along the Tanyard Creek concrete channel. Together, these improvements will create a safer, more accessible route through the northern corridor and strengthen connections among neighborhoods, businesses, parks and other destinations. 

“As a Georgia Tech alumnus, I’m excited to see the Beltline extending its connection to Georgia Tech while connecting surrounding neighborhoods and prioritizing safety,” said Mayor Andre Dickens, City of Atlanta. “Segment 3B will create vital connections through an area where the trail cannot simply follow the former rail corridor. In alignment with our Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, we are building this connection strategically, and with the community in mind. This new segment moves us closer to our goal of creating safer, healthier and better-connected neighborhoods where every resident can benefit from Atlanta’s growth.”

Bridges are essential to creating a continuous, accessible Beltline trail network across Atlanta’s complex urban landscape. Segment 3B's crossing at Northside Drive is one of six bridges planned across the northern Beltline corridor, joining crossings over Peachtree Creek on Northwest Trail - Segment 1, the CSX rail line under Northwest Trail Segment 4 and rail and creek crossings on the Northeast Trail-Segment 3 and connector trails. Each crossing helps remove a physical barrier and creates a safer, more seamless connection between neighborhoods and destinations along the Beltline. 

“Every mile of the Atlanta Beltline brings us closer to a fully connected trail network, but the real impact is what that connectivity makes possible for people and communities,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc. “Northwest Trail – Segment 3B removes a significant barrier at Northside Drive, creates safer access for people walking and biking, and connects four northwest Atlanta neighborhoods to the broader Beltline network. This is what it looks like when public infrastructure is designed to connect people to neighborhoods, destinations and opportunity.”

The segment was broken into two sections for completion: Section A (0.2 miles) and Section B (1.0 miles). It connects to Segment 3A, opened in July 2025 adjacent to Monday Night Brewing’s indoor-outdoor taproom known as The Grove. 

The groundbreaking comes on the heels of another major Beltline milestone, the July opening of “the U,” which brought nearly 17 miles of the 22-mile mainline trail into continuous operation. With 78% of the mainline trail loop now complete, the Beltline is focused on completing the northern corridor by 2030. 

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 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 reflects coordination among city, regional, state and federal agencies, railroad and utility partners, and community organizations, including Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, Atlanta Department of Transportation, Atlanta Watershed Management, CSX, Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Power, Georgia Tech Foundation, MARTA, Invest Atlanta, Trees Atlanta, U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Northwest Trail – Segment 3B was designed by KAIZEN Collaborative and is being constructed by Strack, Inc. with PATH serving as program manager.

Media assets available here.

Pictured left to right: Chief Darin Schierbaum, Atlanta Police Department; Tim Lieuwen, Executive Vice President for Research, Georgia Tech Research Institute; Al Trujillo, President & COO, Georgia Tech Foundation; Commissioner Dana Barrett, Fulton County Board of Commissioners, District 3; Councilmember Dustin Hillis, Atlanta City Council, District 9; City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens; Clyde Higgs, President & CEO, Atlanta Beltline, Inc.; Councilmember Mary Norwood, Atlanta City Council, District 8; Councilmember Matt Westmoreland, Atlanta City Council, Post 2 At-Large; R. David Touwsma, Vice President, Loring Heights Association; Rob Brawner, Executive Director, Atlanta Beltline Partnership